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this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2024
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Dialectical-Materialism: Theory and Application
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Among the greatest contributions to human thought stands the tradition of Dialectical Materialism - a hard-labored theory of metaphysics that offers tools from which to construct objective analysis of material phenomena, including those societal, cultural, and scientific.
Let this community be a space to train our application of the theory so that we may, as occupants of the present, better fulfill our obligation to the future.
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I think the first step is learning what exactly dialectical materialism is and then how to apply it to any topic. Some classics are Stalin's 'Dialectical and Historical Materialism' and Mao's 'On Contradiction', both of which I do recommend. However, you might find also these essays helpful:
Lenin's notes 'On the Question of Dialectics'
'What is Dialectics?' by Roderic Day
Sean Sayer's critique of mechanical materialism and analytical methods
Or, if you're more biologically inclined, you might enjoy the book 'The Dialectical Biologist' by Levins and Lewontin, especially the last chapter 'Conclusion: Dialectics' where they lay out the dialectical system and go through various examples and comparisons. If you're interested in a more purely philosophical approach, Lenin's 'Materialism and Empirio-criticism' is an amazing book!
All of these are some of the best resources I've found and used when learning about dialectical materialism in general, but when studying any Marxist author you can find dialectical materialism being applied and discern the method, and find general principles in their particular examples. Recognizing these aspects does take some practice, but getting familiar and comfortable with dialectical materialism in general will help a lot.