Дискурс Пи (Jan 2022)
Marxism, Science, and Science Studies: History and Prospects
Abstract
From the beginning, Marxism took science extremely seriously, not only for its economic promise in building a socialist society, but also for its revelatory power in understanding the world. The article analyzes the contribution of Marxism to science, traces the trajectory of Marxist ideas in the field of philosophy of science and science studies. It describes some key historical episodes, such as the arrival of a Soviet delegation to the Second International Congress on the History of Science and Technology, which was held in London in 1931, as well as the subsequent interaction between Marxists and exponents of other intellectual traditions. According to the author, Marxism combines attention to the advancing results of the empirical sciences with the development of a philosophical framework capable of integrating expanding knowledge and an awareness of the sociohistorical context of it all. It is a way of seeing the world in terms of a complex pattern of interconnecting processes, a way of revealing how economic structures, political institutions, legal codes, moral norms, cultural trends, scientific theories, philosophical perspectives are all products of a pattern of historical development shaped by a mode of production. There is evidence of a gradual revival of interest in Marxist philosophy ofscience now. The reasons have more to do with the current planetary emergency, particularly the looming climate catastrophe and the persisting COVID-19 pandemic. It is concluded that Marxism is still the unsurpassed philosophy of our time.
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