The Foundations of Marxist Theory: Materialism and Production

Marxist Theory: A Global Worldview

Marxist theory is a worldview, a global vision of nature and humanity. It fundamentally opposes Christian and individualist conceptions. It refuses to establish a hierarchy external to individuals, but it does not accept the individual's awareness and consideration of that consciousness alone as final. Marxism acknowledges realities beyond this individual assessment, specifically:

• Natural realities: The outside world.
• Practice: Work (labor).
• Social and historical realities: The economic structure of society and social classes.

The Philosophy of Materialism

The philosophy of Marxism is materialism. Historical Materialism is the study of the general laws that explain the development of societies. Its purpose is to elucidate the mechanisms for the birth, evolution, and death of any society.

Historical Materialism and Scientific Forecasting

Only knowledge of the laws of motion of societies can lead to a scientific forecast of the future historical trajectory, providing timely information to influence and manage societal development. This concept starts from an analysis of the production process.

The Concept of Production and Infrastructure

The concept of production is of vital importance in Marxist theory because, according to it, in the production process, men create their standard of living, which underlies their spiritual and intellectual life. This relationship can be summarized as follows:

According to the material conditions surrounding them and the level of development of productive forces, humans organize production in a particular form and enter into definite relations of production. The set of production relations of a system is what is called the economic infrastructure.

Infrastructure and Superstructure

The economic infrastructure of society is the base upon which institutions are built, and to which definite forms of social consciousness correspond. The mode of production of material life conditions the entire process of social, political, and spiritual life.

The Dynamics of Societal Transition

The transition from one mode of production to another is not automatic when contradictions appear between productive forces and relations of production. Instead, this transition must be carried out by the social classes for whom the existing mode of production has become an obstacle to development. By changing the economic structure, the vast total superstructure is revolutionized, more or less rapidly.

Marxist theory holds two key principles regarding societal change:

1. No society disappears before all the productive forces for which it has scope have developed.
2. New and more perfect relations of production never appear before the material conditions for their existence have matured within the old society.