MEXICO -- The working class must understand that relationships in society are dialectical. This understanding will help free the working class from capitalism. That's why collectives of the International Communist Workers' Party in Mexico are conducting study circles on dialectical materialism.

We understand that dialectics is the philosophy of change and development. Its study allows us to understand that all relationships follow these laws, from molecules to the universe as a whole.

One of the main laws of dialectics that we studied was "the unity and struggle of opposites." This says that elements or processes are connected to form unity, but at the same time mutually interfere. A comrade explained that the unity of opposites defines the actual state of things, objects or processes.  However, when the interference between them intensifies, change, development or transformation is generated. The interference between elements comes basically from its contradictions.

We analyzed society as a unity, and learned that its contradictions are different ideologies, politics or interests among groups or individuals. There are external and internal contradictions. The external contradictions are the differences between classes, while the internal contradictions are the differences between the individuals of the same class.

A comrade explained that in the capitalist system, the bosses and the working class form a unity and the differences in their interests are the contradictions. The bosses want to increase exploitation to increase their profits and the workers want to free themselves from exploitation. This generates the class struggle (the struggle of opposites). Right now, these contradictions are sharpening. This has created a situation in which millions of workers are organizing and mobilizing against the bosses all over the world.

Another comrade analyzed the bosses dialectically. They form a unity of exploiters, but the interests of each one in total economic and political domination create a big contradiction. This contradiction has sharpened in recent years. Two groups have formed: the group led by the US bosses wants to keep its dominance, while the group led by Chinese capitalist wants to take control away from them.

To resolve this contradiction will lead inevitably to a third world war, where workers will be cannon fodder. One group of bosses will win, but the working class will continue to suffer the ravages of capitalism. The only solution for the working class is the destruction of the capitalist system and the construction of communism.

We also analyzed the working class as a unity (of the exploited) with contradictions such as:  1) the aspiration of a worker to be a boss who will exploit his class; 2) the idea of fighting for a fairer capitalism; 3) the idea of struggling against a certain group of bosses and allying with the lesser-evil bosses; 4) the idea that the solution is state capitalism (socialism) where resources and the means of production are under the control of the state, or in other words, it's the state that exploits.  In opposition to these ideas, for ICWP the only solution is to fight directly to destroy capitalism and build communism.

In the study circle we concluded that the internal contradictions are the most important ones (differences within the working class) because, to liberate ourselves from capitalism, workers must sharpen our contradictions and resolve them.

In Mexico, analysis of the struggle of opposites has allowed us to increase the spread of communist ideas. For example, recently we attended a meeting with a group of students with different ideologies. We talked with them about our political line and we've made contact with more people for our study circles. In that way, we've understood that the entire working class, including those who have reformist or pro-capitalist ideas, must get to know communist ideas.

--Collective of Comrades in Mexico.

In the previous issue we described Lenin's fight against the anti-materialist philosophy called "neutral monism." Neutral monism claimed that everything is made up of "elements." Elements were advertised as something that is neither mental nor physical, but they turn out to be just sensations and thoughts. In this column we outline Lenin's arguments against neutral monism.

Lenin's Main Arguments

Lenin's arguments concentrated on four points: (1) neutral monism is just a disguised version of subjective idealism, which says there is no world outside of individual minds, and objects are just "complexes of sensations." (2) Neutralism is incompatible with natural science. (3) Neutralism promotes religion. (4) Neutralism is internally inconsistent.

Neutral monism is just subjective idealism

The neutralists liked to claim that they were not idealists but had overcome the opposition between materialism and idealism. Analyzing the writings of the various neutralists, Lenin showed that despite their disagreements with each other, they all claimed that the physical universe is a product of sensations and thoughts. This is the direct opposite of materialism, which recognizes that sensing and thinking can only be done by material beings with nerves and brains.

Neutralism is incompatible with natural science

In the science in Lenin's time, it was already well known that the earth was far older than humans or other living beings. That means that it is impossible for the earth to be a product of sensations or thoughts, since there was nothing that could feel or think when it came into existence.

 This point is a variation on a standard objection to subjective idealism, that if it were right, a tree that fell in the forest would make no sound, since no one could hear it. The standard answer from idealists is to claim that God exists, perceives everything, and hears the falling tree.

Most of the neutralists avoided appealing to God, but tried to wiggle out of their contradiction in other ways. Some claimed that the earth really did not exist before people did. Others claimed that people can mentally "project" themselves into the past, a past that would then consist of their "projected" thoughts. "If we 'mentally project' ourselves," Lenin wrote,  "our presence will be imaginary — but the existence of the earth prior to man is real."

Neutralism promotes faith and religion

Alexander Bogdanov, one of Lenin's main opponents, defined truth "an ideological form – an organizing form of human experience." Bogdanov said that "socially organized or objective experience" must "harmonize with the rest of collective experience" and "with the chain of causality."

But Lenin explained that Catholicism fits this definition well. "Catholicism has been 'socially organized, harmonized and coordinated' by centuries of development; it 'fits in' with the 'chain of causality' in the most indisputable manner; for religions did not originate without cause, it is not by accident that they retain their hold over the masses under modern conditions."

The neutral monist approach to truth can't tell the difference between true ideas and false ones that are organized and widely believed. It not only has to say that religions are true but it promotes faith and "fideism," the idea that people should accept as true ideas that aren't supported by the evidence.

The inconsistencies of neutralism

Generally speaking, just looking at the consequences of a philosophical theory is not enough to understand it thoroughly, and critical evaluation of its coherence and consistency is important as well. Lenin included this kind of criticism in his attack on neutralism.

Solipsism is the absurd idea that my mind is the only thing that I can know to actually exist, so that the rest of the universe may exist only in my imagination. Neutral monists were anxious to reject solipsism because accepting it would make their position inconsistent. You can't say that truth is a socially organized experience if society may exist only in your head. 

Starting from the neutralist premises, however, Lenin argued that "it is impossible to arrive at the existence of other people besides oneself." If I can't infer that my sensations are caused by real things beyond me then I can't infer that any mind exists other than my own.  Thus neutral monism cannot reject solipsism, and hence is absurd as well as reactionary.

In the next column, we will look at some of the errors and shortcomings of Lenin's book, Materialism and Empirio-Criticism.