A complete and comprehensive overview of Marxist-Leninist scientific philosophy covering all the Titans of philosophy and science in history in putting them into historical context elaborated in Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism, the highest product of man's thought.

Author: Alexander Spirkin
Soviet-Russian philosopher

Moscow
Translated from the Russian by Robert Daglish Designed by Nadezhda Illarionova
1983 English translation © Progress Publishers 1983
Printed in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

"Alexander Spirkin was a Soviet and Russian philosopher and psychologist. He was born in Saratov Governorate and graduated from the Moscow State Pedagogical University. In 1959 he received his doctorate in philosophy for a dissertation on the origin of consciousness."

Summary Extracts
"This book is a consideration of the essence of Marxist- Leninist philosophy, its central propositions and problems, its historical role and significance in the complex world of today."
"Socialist society, free from exploitation of man by man, is being built in accordance with a strictly scientific social theory—Marxism-Leninism, whose philosophical basis is dialectical materialism."

Contents:
Introduction

1. Philosophy As A World-View And A Methodology

What Is Philosophy?
Philosophy as a World-View
Philosophy as Methodology
Philosophy and Science
Philosophy and Art

2. The System of Categories in Philosophical Thought

The Categories of Dialectics
Matter as the Substance of Everything That Exists
The Motion of Matter
Space and Time
The Principle of Universal Connection and Development
The Principle of Causality
System and Structure
Essence and Phenomenon
Quality and Quantity
Negation and Continuity
Contradiction and Harmony
3. Consciousness of the World and the World of Consciousness

The General Concept of Consciousness and Mental Activity
The Material and the Spiritual
Consciousness and Language
4. The Theory of Knowledge and Creativity

General Concept of Cognition
Cognition and Practice
What Is Truth?
The Sensuous Image of the World
Thought
5. On the Human Being and Being Human

What Is a Human Being?
The Human as the Biosocial
Man in the Realm of Nature
Man and Society
Man as a Personality
Man the Doer
Destiny, Freedom and Responsibility
Man and culture