Part One: Reason and unreason¶
Core Argument¶
In the opening chapter of Part One: Reason and Unreason, the authors contend that capitalism has entered an irreversible phase of decline, transforming from a historically progressive force into a fetter upon human development. This decay is not merely economic but profoundly cultural, manifesting as widespread pessimism, anxiety, and the proliferation of irrationalism. Consciousness, they argue, lags stubbornly behind material development; a stark illustration is the persistence of religious fundamentalism in the United States, where astronauts quote Genesis and creationists challenge evolutionary science in court, all within the most technologically advanced society on earth. Hegel’s dictum that “Reason becomes Unreason” is invoked to capture this inversion. The bourgeoisie, once the standard-bearer of rationalism and atheism during its revolutionary youth, now embraces superstition. Evidence is drawn from the Reagans’ reliance on astrology for state decisions and Yeltsin’s similar consultations. This irrationality is not accidental but the psychological reflection of capitalist anarchy, where blind market forces dominate human life.
The chapter extends its critique to the scientific community, arguing that scientists and intellectuals are not immune to society’s general tendencies. Their professed indifference to politics and philosophy leaves them prey to prevailing prejudices. In genetics, a counter-revolution employs allegedly scientific theories to “prove” that criminality, disadvantage, and poverty stem from genetic makeup rather than social conditions or discrimination—a pseudo-science serving reactionary ends, such as justifying welfare cuts. The authors defend dialectical materialism against scientists who, wielding sound credentials, defend unsound philosophical views that are seized upon by right-wing politicians, racists, and religious fanatics. Figures like Rees-Mogg and Davidson are cited for frankly advocating religion as a weapon to keep the underprivileged in place, encouraging anti-scientific delusions. The Templeton Prize awarded to physicist Paul Davies exemplifies a trend injecting mysticism into science, particularly in theoretical physics and cosmology.
The only defence against such idealist mysticism, the chapter argues, is dialectical materialism. The book openly opposes the market economy and aims to explain dialectical materialism’s relevance to science. It contends that scientists, repelled by both Stalinism and capitalism, will recognise the need for a rational, planned society—democratic socialism. Advances in chaos and complexity theory are presented as evidence that scientists are already moving toward dialectical thinking, which the authors assert is the philosophy of the future.