Popper and Kolakowski: Two Challenges to Historical Materialism

Huang Yang

doi:10.54691/x65h8x26

Authors

Huang Yang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/x65h8x26

Keywords:

Historical Materialism; Karl Popper; Leszek Kolakowski.

Abstract

Karl Popper and Leszek Kolakowski criticized Historical Materialism from different perspectives. Popper believed that the unpredictability of human knowledge development would invalidate the predictions made by Historical Materialism; his viewpoint constitutes a criticism based on internal theoretical logic. Kolakowski, based on the tortuous events in Soviet communist construction, asserted that Historical Materialism played an important role therein, thus criticizing its political effects. Popper's criticism fails to distinguish between different types of human knowledge and the original purpose of Historical Materialism, while Kolakowski exaggerates the connection between theory and fact.

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