Dialectical Materialism Study Aid

Dialectical Materialism

Political Education Study Guide: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Reading Lists

The following is a list of readings focusing on Dialectical Materialism, the philosophy of Marxism. Philosophy is only one component of Marxism, but a very important one. If we had to choose which component of Marxism to begin with, we would argue philosophy is the most important as it can be, and is, used in all aspects of interpreting the world, organizing efforts, analysis and more. 

The entries listed below are divided into three categories accordingly. This is not a curriculum, only a simple reading list. Read according to your ability and understanding of Dialectical Materialism. We do believe in reading with study groups, i.e. political education study groups, with the intention to apply it into your organizing spaces.

(Mostly extracted from a SubReddit post)

BEGINNERS

  1. Dialectics4Kids A website which explains DM as easily as possible, a great starting point.
  2. Dialectical and Historical Materialism by J. V. Stalin (In this Reading Group we’ll only be reading under the subheadings “Marxist Dialectical Method” and “Marxist Philosophical Materialism”)
  3. Dialectical Materialism by Mao Zedong 1938 
  4. Philosophy and Class Struggle by Dialego 1975 
  5. On Contradiction by Mao Zedong 
  6. On Practice by Mao Zedong 
  7. What is Dialectical Materialism? by Rob Sowell
  8. The Principal Contradiction by Torkil Lauesen
  9. Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Friedrich Engels (In this Reading Group we’ll only be reading Part 2, “Dialectics”, which is included in the link provided)
  10. The Three Sources and the Three Component Parts of Marxism by V. I. Lenin
  11. On the Question of Dialectics by V. I. Lenin

INTERMEDIATE

  1. On Marxism, Louis Althusser
  2. Dialectics of Nature, Friedrich Engels (In this Reading Group, we’ll only be reading the “Introduction” and the first chapter “Dialectics”, which you can navigate to from the link provided above)
  3. Materialism and the Dialectical Method by Maurice Cornforth
  4. Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy, Friedrich Engels
  5. Materialism and Empirio-Criticism Chapter 1 “The Theory of Knowledge of Empirio-Criticism and Dialectical Materialism by I”, V. I. Lenin (The link above is to an index for the whole work “Materialism and Empirio-Critcism”. At this time we’ll only be reading the first chapter)
  6. Lenin and Philosophy, Louis Althusser (The above link is to ‘Part 1’ of the collection “Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays”. The text to be read is found at page 23.)
  7. Materialism and Empirio-Criticism Chapter 2 “The Theory of Knowledge of Empirio-Criticism and Dialectical Materialism – II”, V. I. Lenin (The link above is to an index for the whole work “Materialism and Empirio-Critcism”. At this time we’ll only be reading the second chapter)
  8. Lenin Before Hegel, Louis Althusser (The above link is to ‘Part 1’ of the collection “Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays”. The text to be read is found at page 107.)
  9. Materialism and Empirio-Criticism Chapter 3 “The Theory of Knowledge of Empirio-Criticism and Dialectical Materialism – III”, V. I. Lenin (The link above is to an index for the whole work “Materialism and Empirio-Critcism”. At this time we’ll only be reading the third chapter)
  10. On The Significance of Militant Materialism, V. I. Lenin
  11. Socialism and Religion, V. I. Lenin
  12. Anarchism or Socialism?, J. V Stalin
  13. Marxism and Problems of Linguistics, J. V. Stalin
  14. Where Do Correct Ideas Come From?, Mao Zedong
  15. Talk on Question of Philosophy, Mao Zedong

ADVANCED

  1. Anti-Duhring by Friedrich Engels (In this Reading Group we’ll only be reading through Chapters 3, 4, 12 and 13. The link provided is to an index, where each of the chapters is available)
  2. Is It Simple to be a Marxist in Philosophy?, Louis Althusser (The above link is to the collection “Essays in Self-Criticism”. The text to be read is found at page 163, in Part 2)
  3. For Marx, Louis Althusser (We will read through everything in this book in the order in which it is found, except for the essay entitled “The ‘Piccolo Teatro’: Bertolazzi and Brecht”)
  4. Reply to John Lewis, Louis Althusser (The above link is to the collection “Essays in Self-Criticism”. The text to be read is found at page 33, in Part 1)
  5. Marx’s Relation to Hegel, Louis Althusser
  6. Materialism and Empirio-Criticism Chapter 5 “The Recent Revolution in Natural Science and Philosophical Idealism”, V. I. Lenin (The link above is to an index for the whole work “Materialism and Empirio-Critcism”. At this time we’ll only be reading the fifth chapter)
  7. Philosophy and the Spontaneous Philosophy of the Scientists, Louis Althusser
  8. Proletarian Science? The Case of Lysenko, Dominique Lecourt
  9. Theory, Theoretical Practice and Theoretical Formation: Ideology and Ideological Struggle, Louis Althusser (The above link is to ‘Part 1’ of the collection “Philosophy and the Spontaneous Philosophy of the Scientists and Other Essays”. At this time we will be reading the first essay here)
  10. On Theoretical Work: Difficulties and Resources, Louis Althusser (The above link is to ‘Part 1’ of the collection “Philosophy and the Spontaneous Philosophy of the Scientists and Other Essays”. At this time we will be reading the second essay here)