Author's preface to the second English edition¶
Core Argument¶
In the preface to the second English edition of Reason in Revolt, written in 2007, Alan Woods reflects on the decade since the book’s first publication, framing it as a vindication of dialectical materialism against both scientific obscurantism and bourgeois ideology. The core argument is that the philosophy of Marxism—dialectical materialism—has been confirmed by the most advanced scientific discoveries, while the capitalist system, in its senile decay, has regressed into irrationalism, religious fundamentalism, and intellectual poverty. The preface is both a tribute to Ted Grant, who died in 2006, and a polemical intervention against creationism, biological determinism, postmodernism, and reformist utopianism.
Woods makes several key claims. First, the Human Genome Project has demolished the case for biological determinism, racism, and homophobia by revealing that humans possess only around 23,000 genes—far fewer than previously assumed. This small number rules out the notion that individual genes control complex behaviours like criminality or sexual preference. The genetic difference between humans and chimpanzees is less than two per cent, and humans share ancient genes with roundworms and bacteria, exploding the “intelligent design” argument that humans are a special creation. Second, the discovery of black holes, confirmed by the Hubble telescope, provides a striking example of the dialectical law of the unity of opposites: what appears as the most destructive force in the universe—a black hole—turns out to be essential for holding galaxies together and making life possible. Third, chaos theory and complexity theory have belatedly recognised the law of the transformation of quantity into quality, a cornerstone of Engels’ dialectics, though scientists have failed to acknowledge their debt to Marxist philosophy.
The preface draws heavily on Engels’ Dialectics of Nature and his three laws of dialectics: the transformation of quantity into quality, the interpenetration of opposites, and the negation of the negation. Woods insists that dialectics is not a dogma to be imposed on science, but a method deduced from nature and history. He cites Stephen Jay Gould’s remark that if scientists had heeded Engels’ The Role of Labour in the Transition of Ape to Man, they could have avoided a century of errors. The historical context is the post-Soviet ideological offensive against Marxism, the rise of religious fundamentalism in the United States under George W. Bush, and the global crisis of capitalism marked by war, terrorism, and ecological degradation.
Notable polemics target several adversaries. Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene is criticised for its reductionist method, though Woods notes that Dawkins later retreated from his earlier position. The “intelligent design” movement is dismissed as a resurrection of creationism, backed by millions in the USA and demanding that Genesis be taught alongside Darwin. Heinz Dieterich’s “socialism of the 21st century” is attacked as a rehash of reformist utopianism—neither new nor socialist, but an attempt to create “capitalism with a human face.” Postmodernism is derided as the wretched philosophy of a declining bourgeoisie, incapable of producing anything beyond “flea-crackers.” Woods contrasts this with the great thinkers of the bourgeoisie’s youth—Locke, Hobbes, Kant, Hegel, Adam Smith, Ricardo—and asserts that Marxism, rooted in dialectical materialism, remains the most modern analysis of the world, as proven by the Communist Manifesto’s continued relevance. The preface ends with an optimistic note: the crisis of capitalism is generating renewed interest in Marxism, as seen in Venezuela, where Reason in Revolt is a best-seller recommended by Hugo Chávez.