[Book] Reason in Revolt: Marxist Philosophy and Modern Science

The achievements of science and technology during the past century are unparalleled in history. They provide the potential for the solution to all the problems faced by the planet, and equally for its total destruction. Allegedly scientific theories are being used to "prove" that criminality is caused, not by social conditions, but by a "criminal gene". Black people are alleged to be disadvantaged, not because of discrimination, but because of their genetic make-up. Of course, such "science" is highly convenient to right-wing politicians intent on ruthlessly cutting welfare.

In the field of theoretical physics and cosmology there is a growing tendency towards mysticism. The "Big Bang" theory of the origin of the universe is being used to justify the existence of a Creator, as in the book of Genesis . For the first time in centuries, science appears to lend credence to religious obscurantism. Yet this is only one side of the story.

A growing number of scientists are becoming discontented with the old outlook. The rapid rise of the theory of Chaos and Complexity is one of the most significant developments in science at the turn of the new millennium. Many of the ideas expressed by this new trend are strikingly similar to the theories of dialectical materialism worked out by Marx and Engels over 150 years ago.

A significant part of the present work is devoted to an exploration of the relationship between Marxist philosophy and the new theories. Will this encounter provide the basis for a new and exciting breakthrough in the methodology of science?

Table of Contents

• Author's introduction to eBook edition

• Author's Preface to the Second English Edition

• Authors' Foreword

Part One: Reason and Unreason

1. Introduction

2. Philosophy and Religion

3. Dialectical Materialism

4. Formal Logic and Dialectics

Part Two: Time, Space and Motion

1. Revolution in Physics

2. Uncertainty and Idealism

3. Relativity Theory

4. The Arrow of Time

5. The Big Bang

Part Three: Life, Mind and Matter

1. The Dialectics of Geology

2. How Life Arose

3. The Revolutionary Birth of Man

4. The Genisis of Mind

5. Marxism and Darwinism

6. The Selfish Gene?

Part Four: Order Out of Chaos

1. Does Mathematics Reflect Reality?

2. Chaos Theory

3. The Theory of Knowledge

4. Alienation and the Future of Humanity

• Bibliography

• Glossary of Terms