Author Description

There are few if any really good anthologies devoted to the topic of philosophical Marxism (Dialectical and Historical Materialism) which so thoroughly cover the dialectical method as the selections in this anthology. Carlos L. Garrido, a philosophy instructor, PhD candidate at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, an activist in the struggle for socialism in the U.S., and a co-founder and editor of Midwestern Marx, a Marxist educational Institute, and the Journal of American Socialist Studies, has scoured the literature of both the classic Marxist thinkers (Marx, Engels, Lenin), two of their most influential followers who came to power by means of major revolutions (Stalin and Mao), as well as some of the most important thinkers whose work was informed by this classical tradition (Plekhanov, Bukharin, Bernal, Haldane, Olgin and Ilyenkov). Additionally, he has provided an exceptional systematization of the dialectical materialist worldview in his introduction to the anthology. These selections present the heart of the philosophy of Dialectical Materialism and aim to help students get to the essence of this view of reality in order to apply practically its lessons to contemporary political, economic and social problems. It is not intended for those who just want to read about reality, but for those who want, as Marx insisted, to change it as well.