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Published Anti-Dühring. Herr Eugen Dühring’s Revolution in Science
Engels stated that two types of philosophers (i.e., those who speculate about what reality is) existed: the idealists, who viewed a person’s mindset as superior to their material reality, and a materialist who held the opposite view. He believed that science had replaced much of what was formerly covered by philosophy (Friedrich Engels Philosophy, 2012). -
Published Anti-Dühring. Herr Eugen Dühring’s Revolution in Science (Part 2)
Importantly, he saw tangible reality as the root of all knowledge, but that abstractions could be interpolated as knowledge advances. He also saw science in a sociological context in that he saw it as being tied to the culture within which was practiced (Kircz, 62-66). -
Published Anti-Dühring. Herr Eugen Dühring’s Revolution in Science (Part 3)
He saw science in dialectical terms (i.e., opposing forces act on it); he called this phenomenon “contradiction” or “negation”. He said that the best theories closely mirror reality. He also saw scientific development as cumulative: each accomplishment builds on and extends the ones previous to it (Kircz,62-66). -
Published Anti-Dühring. Herr Eugen Dühring’s Revolution in Science (Part 4)
Unfortunately, many of Engels’ assertions, especially those related to mathematics, have since been proven incorrect. For example, his assertions of dialectics in math were disproved in the 19th Century as the field successfully moved from observations of physical reality to more theoretical assertions (Kircz, 64-66). -
Published Anti-Dühring. Herr Eugen Dühring’s Revolution in Science (Part 5)
Furthermore, he saw mathematics as an abstraction of reality. However, van Heijnoort noted that the human mind can construct mental images that have nothing to do with reality (Kircz, 65-66). -
Published Anti-Dühring. Herr Eugen Dühring’s Revolution in Science
Engels’ pivotal work on the philosophy of science is Anti-Dühring. Herr Eugen Dühring’s Revolution in Science, published as a series of articles between July 3, 1877, and July 7, 1878, and as a book in 1878 (“Anti-Dühring”). -
Dialectics Explained
Karl Marx - The Dialectic Process (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7__h8KpuTzI) -
Dialectics Illustration
This illustration shows dialectics as a circular process wherein a thesis and an anti-thesis are synthesized to create a new anti-thesis, ad infinitum (theironfelix, 2017). -
Sources (Page 1 of 2)
“Anti-Dühring.” 1877: Anti-Duhring, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1877/anti-duhring/.
“Friedrich Engels Philosophy.” Philosophy & Philosophers, 14 Dec. 2012, https://www.the-philosophy.com/friedrich-engels-philosophy.
Kircz, Joost. “Engels and Natural Science: A Starting Point.” Science & Society, vol. 62, no. 1, 1998, pp. 62–78. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40403687. -
Sources (Page 2 of 2)
Marshall, Debra. “Karl Marx - The Dialectic Process.” YouTube, 24 Dec. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7__h8KpuTzI.
Simkin, John. “Friedrich Engels.” Spartacus Educational, Spartacus Educational, Aug. 2014, spartacus-educational.com/TUengels.htm.
Theironfelix. “Dialectics, what is it?” Steemit.com. 2017, https://steemit.com/politics/@theironfelix/dialectics-what-is-it
