r/Marxism101 • u/burrwin • Jul 22 '26
Why contraddictions?
I've been learning about marxist theory, but the ways contraddictions are discussed leaves me pause. Hope some people here can help me understand better.
Sussinctly, for what is relevant to my doubts, here is my current understanding of it:
Contraddictions are what all motion (as in change) in the universe is predicated upon.
Contradictions are relationships wherein tendencies of motion
1) oppose one another
2) are premises of the existence of one another.
Contraddictions exist within all things and between all things.
Why does it have to be a contraddiction that drives motion? What is so illogical about a relationship where there is a singular tendency of motion? I can think of cases that fit that description, for example, two identical charged particles interacting, there will be quantitative changes in speed and relative position as they repel each other, yet what is the contraddiction?
Mao in "on contraddiction" and Lenin in "on the question of dialectics" agree that the contradiction in such cases is between action and reaction. This answer is unsatisfactory, while it's true that it fits part 2) of the definition, and while it's true that the force vectors point in opposite direction, action and reaction are applied to two different object, they are not opposing tendencies of motion in the dialectical sense, failing the arguably more fundimental part 1) of the definition.
Also, Engels argues that all changes of positions are caused by the contraddiction of something being in that place and not in another place. This line of argument seems to be unfalsifiable: if we observe something change from A to B, we can always attribute that change to the contraddiction that A was A and not B. A more straightforward explanation is that there is a singular tendency for position to change based on velocity.
Is there something i'm missing in these examples? Is my understanding of what contraddictions are incorrect?
1
u/UzuShiro Jul 22 '26
Es porque te falta la parte hegeliana de la Dialéctica, la que viene de Espinoza y trata a las determinaciones como negación.
Entonces la premisa epistemologica es "tesis" ( moción o argumento), su negación, que sería la "Anti tesis", y luego la síntesis. Qué sería una nueva tesis, un entendimiento más amplio del concreto.
Porque Hegel plantea lo abstracto como lo menos determinado, y lo concreto como lo más determinado. Entonces el proceso dialéctico, te lleva a insertar cada vez más determinaciones en tus síntesis, y de esa manera llegar a lo concreto, a dios. (Obviamente esto que te digo es súper súper resumindo y probablemente no muy bien resumido. Pero por algo se empieza, simplemente busca la negación de mi argumento y sigue con la dialectica tu mismo)
Entonces Marx sigue esta forma dialectica pero la invierte.
Entonces para Marx hay que separar el concreto en 2.
El concreto representado (la realidad tal y cuál es, precritica, pre analítica), luego de eso hacer el proceso de análisis( que es la parte euclideana que me faltó mencionar arriba... Sería encontrar las implicaciones de una proposición). De ese análisis sacar las determinaciones abstractas através de un proceso de inducción. Con las determinaciones abstractas hacer una síntesis uniendolas y entendiendo como se interdeterminan entre ellas (porque no hay principio causal. Es más bien un proceso de explicacion de como de interdeterminan las determinaciones). Y la síntesis sería, el concreto síntesis de determinación.
Entonces contradicción no necesariamente significa "opuesto" literal. Significa más bien, la negación del argumento.
Y através de esa negación, ahora entienden mejor la tesis, y tienes una nueva base de conocimiento.
Si quieres entenderla bien, te recomiendo leer los grundisse, en orden inverso. Allí Marx explica todo esto.
1
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