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Reason in Revolt: Marxist Philosophy and Modern Science
Reason in Revolt further develops the theory of Dialectical Materialism, using the most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century as a tool. First exposed by Marx and Engels, Dialectical Materialism is a comprehensive methodology explaining the unity of the laws that govern nature, science and society, from evolution to chaos theory, nuclear physics to childhood development. First published in 1995 to coincide with Engel's centenary, Reason in Revolt has had a great success around the world. It has been published in Spanish, Italian, Greek, Turkish, Urdu, and is now being translated into German and Flemish. The Spanish edition recently went into its second edition. To date, no one has found serious fault with the science of the book. And every new discovery of science serves to confirm the statement of Engels, that "in the last analysis, Nature works dialectically."
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
55 people are currently reading
756 people want to read
About the author
Alan Woods
72 books129 followersAlan Woods is a Trotskyist political theorist. He is one of the leading members of the British group Socialist Appeal as well as its parent group, the International Marxist Tendency (IMT). He is political editor of the IMT's In Defence of Marxism website.
Woods supported the Militant tendency within the UK Labour Party until the early 1990s, when he and Ted Grant were expelled from the tendency and founded the Committee for a Marxist International (soon renamed International Marxist Tendency) in 1992. They continued with the policy of entryism into the Labour Party.
Woods has been particularly vocal in his support for the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, and has repeatedly met with the socialist Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, leading to speculation he was a close political adviser.
Woods supported the Militant tendency within the UK Labour Party until the early 1990s, when he and Ted Grant were expelled from the tendency and founded the Committee for a Marxist International (soon renamed International Marxist Tendency) in 1992. They continued with the policy of entryism into the Labour Party.
Woods has been particularly vocal in his support for the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, and has repeatedly met with the socialist Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, leading to speculation he was a close political adviser.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 7, 2020
A very different book which broadens the mind of reader to see the world in a distinguish way. This book helps to understand things in their natural way rather than biased.
June 29, 2023
This book has an interesting concept: using marxist philosophy of dialectical materialism and applying it to modern science. This has a twofold purpose: it can allow us to understand science and interpret complex phenomena in a materialist and dialectical way and it can also allow us to make judgments regarding scientific theories.
The first purpose is perfectly fine since some theories such as quantum theory are so complex that they cannot be understood in “normal terms” as they go beyond what we are used to. There are various understandings of quantum theory such as the famous “many worlds” interpretation. Attempting to understand concepts in physics such as relativity and quantum theory from a materialist perspective does not go against science since a philosophical interpretation cannot really be “wrong” as long as it doesn’t contradict the science.
The major flaw with this book arises from the second purpose mentioned above: making judgments about scientific theories based on philosophy. Reason in Revolt details the history of many of the theories that it studies and a common theme among them is the dogmatic resistance to science offered by religion. Many religious figures rejected science because it went against their beliefs such as with Galileo. What is interesting is that the authors of the book are doing the same but with dialectical materialism. Possibly this can be an example of the negation of the negation: they are dogmatically rejecting science like the religious people did before, just on a higher level ! The authors sacrifice scientific rigour in order to push a narrative (that is not to say that many of their criticisms are wrong or that scientists don’t often do the same thing). For example, they reject the existence of black hole singularities and even the Big Bang. They also make many false claims based on misunderstandings of the theory of relativity. This clearly shows the lack of scientific experience of the authors. I don’t think one needs to be a scientist in order to criticize scientific ideas or theories; any educated person can make a valid criticism if they study the topic enough. What is wrong is making a criticism based on a philosophy and not based on the evidence. Many of the claims made in this book aged poorly since the publication date and it really puts what the authors say in question. Simply, trying to disprove a scientific theory using a philosophical argument will never work in your favour.
I have read many books that I disagree with but this is a book that is objectively wrong. I cannot agree or disagree with this book because it is not a matter of opinion. While I do appreciate the effort to demystify science using materialism, I recognize that it can be done properly to explain scientific concepts without rejecting them. If the science disagrees with Engels and one must be rejected, let it be Engels. This is also the general flaw with “orthodox” marxism that refuses to recognize flaws in the reasoning of the great gods of marxism. As a socialist, I think that it is essential to preserve the useful ideas from Marx and co. while rejecting those that have been discredited. Luckily, most of these great philosophers’ works are critiques of capitalism which are still correct. It is only their attempts at science that are misinformed. Also, dialectical materialism should not be used outside of its intended scope: it is a tool for societal analysis, not a metaphysical one. As rational people, we must do better than to reject science which will only hurt our cause in the long run. Now, one of the biggest socialist political groups in the world is openly denying well supported science and I can promise that it is not a good look. Also, the book is overly long and repetitive but that is a minor criticism. I will mot give this book the lowest rating because it is not offensive like some other books. It is just misguided and I hope that eventually Alan Woods will realize his mistakes (but probably not). 2/5
The first purpose is perfectly fine since some theories such as quantum theory are so complex that they cannot be understood in “normal terms” as they go beyond what we are used to. There are various understandings of quantum theory such as the famous “many worlds” interpretation. Attempting to understand concepts in physics such as relativity and quantum theory from a materialist perspective does not go against science since a philosophical interpretation cannot really be “wrong” as long as it doesn’t contradict the science.
The major flaw with this book arises from the second purpose mentioned above: making judgments about scientific theories based on philosophy. Reason in Revolt details the history of many of the theories that it studies and a common theme among them is the dogmatic resistance to science offered by religion. Many religious figures rejected science because it went against their beliefs such as with Galileo. What is interesting is that the authors of the book are doing the same but with dialectical materialism. Possibly this can be an example of the negation of the negation: they are dogmatically rejecting science like the religious people did before, just on a higher level ! The authors sacrifice scientific rigour in order to push a narrative (that is not to say that many of their criticisms are wrong or that scientists don’t often do the same thing). For example, they reject the existence of black hole singularities and even the Big Bang. They also make many false claims based on misunderstandings of the theory of relativity. This clearly shows the lack of scientific experience of the authors. I don’t think one needs to be a scientist in order to criticize scientific ideas or theories; any educated person can make a valid criticism if they study the topic enough. What is wrong is making a criticism based on a philosophy and not based on the evidence. Many of the claims made in this book aged poorly since the publication date and it really puts what the authors say in question. Simply, trying to disprove a scientific theory using a philosophical argument will never work in your favour.
I have read many books that I disagree with but this is a book that is objectively wrong. I cannot agree or disagree with this book because it is not a matter of opinion. While I do appreciate the effort to demystify science using materialism, I recognize that it can be done properly to explain scientific concepts without rejecting them. If the science disagrees with Engels and one must be rejected, let it be Engels. This is also the general flaw with “orthodox” marxism that refuses to recognize flaws in the reasoning of the great gods of marxism. As a socialist, I think that it is essential to preserve the useful ideas from Marx and co. while rejecting those that have been discredited. Luckily, most of these great philosophers’ works are critiques of capitalism which are still correct. It is only their attempts at science that are misinformed. Also, dialectical materialism should not be used outside of its intended scope: it is a tool for societal analysis, not a metaphysical one. As rational people, we must do better than to reject science which will only hurt our cause in the long run. Now, one of the biggest socialist political groups in the world is openly denying well supported science and I can promise that it is not a good look. Also, the book is overly long and repetitive but that is a minor criticism. I will mot give this book the lowest rating because it is not offensive like some other books. It is just misguided and I hope that eventually Alan Woods will realize his mistakes (but probably not). 2/5
August 28, 2025
Marxism has raised my sights and expanded my horizons in so many ways - I haven't studied science since high school and yet this book equipped me with an understanding of the dialectics of quantum physics, the origins of life, the genesis of human consciousness, the list goes on... The universe is so vast and chaotic, but there is an astonishing order through it all. The final citation by Trotsky brought tears to my eyes. I look forward to referencing and rereading this book in a few years - it's quite a marathon to get through but so, so worth it.
October 12, 2012
Making my way through this book and am finding it a poor scientific read in light of works by Jared Diamond, Brian Cox, Richard Dawkins, and Jerry Coyne. New Atheism works also do much to explain current scientific developments, history, etc. without brow-beating capitalism. The authors open up with threats against the Big Bang and The Standard Model? They continue to praise "prophecies" made my Marx/Engels but fail to register their philosophical shortcomings. Reason in Revolt is straddling a fine line between cogent argument and lunatic rambling.
September 26, 2019
Harika bir kitap. Engels'in "Doğa'nın Diyalektiği", "Anti-Dühring", "Ailenin, Özel Mülkiyetin ve Devlet'in Kökeni" kitaplarını günümüz bilimsel gelişmeleri ve araştırmaları ile güncelleyen, aynı kitaplarda kullanılan bir method haline gelen diyalektik materyalist bilim felsefesini yine güncel bilimsel gelişmelerde uygulayan, bu açıdan güncel bilimsel gelişmeleri tartışan ve hala bilimde var olan idealizmleri gözler önüne seren bir kitap. Sadece bilim ile de yetinmeyip, tarihsel materyalizm ile diyalektik materyalizmi buluşturan, bütünlüklü bir kitap. Herkes okumalı.
May 22, 2024
Brain expanding stuff
January 5, 2021
Outstanding completion and extension of Dialectics of Nature worthy of Engles himself. One of the few steps forward for Marxism in the last half century.
June 17, 2020
Buku yang selesai saya baca, saya membelinya pada tahun 2016 lalu. Ini sangat menarik sebab membaca buku ini selain dibicarakan harus disandingkan dengan pengantar filsafat, sains, fisika, Marx dan marxisme, serta memahami materialisme Dialektis.
Buku yang padat dan 'wowaw' (istilah saya sendiri)
Namun, menurut saya pribadi ada kekurangan dari buku tebal bin padat ini yakni pada versi Indonesia tidak ada glosarium di akhir setelah daftar pustaka. Sangat disayangkan saya harus mencarinya sendiri.
Sangat apik dan epic sebagai metodologi. Untuk isian bab, bab 19 mengenai Alienasi dan Masa Depan Umat Manusia, memantapkan V effect yang saya cari dari Brecht berakar dari Sini. Buku yang mantap.
Dari penulis Alan Woods dan Ted Grant, kemudian front cover dengan wajah patung emas Marx dan Engels, anak judul Filsafat Marxisme dan Sains Modern, serta penerbit dari Resist Book bekerjasama dengan Wellred Books. Bukan serba kebetulan mengemas buku dengan serba dua. Sampul yang menarik untuk edisi terbitan pertama.
Buku yang padat dan 'wowaw' (istilah saya sendiri)
Namun, menurut saya pribadi ada kekurangan dari buku tebal bin padat ini yakni pada versi Indonesia tidak ada glosarium di akhir setelah daftar pustaka. Sangat disayangkan saya harus mencarinya sendiri.
Sangat apik dan epic sebagai metodologi. Untuk isian bab, bab 19 mengenai Alienasi dan Masa Depan Umat Manusia, memantapkan V effect yang saya cari dari Brecht berakar dari Sini. Buku yang mantap.
Dari penulis Alan Woods dan Ted Grant, kemudian front cover dengan wajah patung emas Marx dan Engels, anak judul Filsafat Marxisme dan Sains Modern, serta penerbit dari Resist Book bekerjasama dengan Wellred Books. Bukan serba kebetulan mengemas buku dengan serba dua. Sampul yang menarik untuk edisi terbitan pertama.
March 2, 2023
Top notch materialist perspective on contemporary science which I would call an essential read for anyone trying to grasp the distinction between the concrete world as they experience it and the world as described by equations on paper; or, for those looking for inspiration by turning to an alternate perspective (that of Einstein and other great scientists).
Despite all the good in this book, like typical trots the authors did feel obligated to mention the USSR and in that moment took a hard rightward turn into a wall. Cut out the meandering section on morality (maybe touch base with Tasks of the Youth Leagues on that topic) and this book is stellar.
Pairs well with Omelyanovsky's "Dialectics in Modern Physics."
Despite all the good in this book, like typical trots the authors did feel obligated to mention the USSR and in that moment took a hard rightward turn into a wall. Cut out the meandering section on morality (maybe touch base with Tasks of the Youth Leagues on that topic) and this book is stellar.
Pairs well with Omelyanovsky's "Dialectics in Modern Physics."
August 12, 2008
A journey to the materialism dialectics perspective. Destructive but constructive at the same time. It destroy everything we know and we think of our world, religion, god. And construct an unusual perspective of the world, a new way to see what life really is. A second hand review of Engels' Dialectics of Nature and a philosophical platform of Marx's Das Capital.
January 8, 2018
Heel erg goed geschreven, grondig maar toch toegankelijke inleiding tot zowel het marxisme als de moderne wetenschap. Een aanrader, zowel voor iedereen die ideeën wilt om de wereld mee te veranderen - als voor diegenen die het een en ander op te halen hebben nadat ze niet goed hebben opgelet in het middelbaar.
May 4, 2018
this book was one of the ones that completely change my point of view about everything. now I see materialism dialectics in everything I see from science to human relations passing by economy and another topics. Incredible.
December 23, 2018
Based on Anti Duhring's Engel and Nature Dialectic's Engel this book found that Dialectic Logic more superior than Formal Logic.
March 4, 2020
A mind changer book..
January 16, 2021
Great book, nice writing on the Boltzmann arrow of time...
Currently reading
February 3, 2022Yaşam sürekli ve hızlı biçimde işleyen muazzam sayıda kimyasal reaksiyonlarıyla karmaşık bir etkileşimler sistemidir. (page 83)
Read
February 17, 2015excellent book.
April 28, 2024
اگر سوا سو سال پہلے اگر کوئی گوگل جیسا سرچ انجن ہوتا تو "کارل مارکس" سب سے زیادہ تلاش کیا جانے والی حرف ہوتا۔ اشتراکیت نظریاتی طور سے عملی شکل میں آتا ہے اور پھر آہستہ آہستہ پوری دنیا میں پھیلتا چلا گیا۔ اور دنیا دو حصوں میں تقسیم ہوگئی۔ ایک طرف سرمایہ دارانہ نظام اور دوسری طرف اشتراکی نظام۔ اشتراکی نظام کو عروج میسر آتا ہے۔ لیکن سرمایہ دارانہ نظام سے ٹکراوٴ سے ہار گیا۔ سقوط روس سے اشتراکیت غیر اہم ہوگئی۔
یہ کتاب بتاتی ہے کہ اشتراکیت غیر موثر نہیں ہوئی بلکہ اسٹالن ازم اور اسکی نوکر شاہی ہار گئی ہے۔ اور نظریاتی طور پر آج بھی موثر ہے اور اسکے سرمایہ دارانہ پر اعتراضات آج بھی سچ ہیں۔
اس کتاب کا ایک اور نہایت اہم پہلو ہے۔ وہ ہے جدید سائنس۔ اصل بات یہ ہے کہ انسانی معلوم نہایت محدود ہے اور کائنات نہایت وسیع و عریض۔ سمندر کے کنارے بکھری ریت کے ایک ذرے کے مانند بسنے والی زمین کے باشندے کو تسخیر کائنات کا چیلنج در پیش ہے لیکن ابھی تفہیم کائنات کے مرحلے پر ہیں اور اسکے لئے سائنسی علوم کی مدد لی جاتی ہے جو کہ خود ارتقاء کے مرحلے پر ہے۔ ہر نیا دن ماضی کو جھٹلاتا ہے اور نامعلوم مستقبل کی طرف بڑھتے جا رہے ہیں۔ مصنفین نے نہایت جانفشانی سے جدید سائنسی علوم اور تحقیقات کو عوامی زبان میں جس طرح پیش کیا ہے وہ قابل رشک ہے۔ بہرحال اس کے لئے قارئین کا سائنسی علوم کی جدید بنیادوں کی آگاہی لازمی ہے۔ ( کاش یہ کتاب ہماری جامعات کے معزز اساتذہ اور طلباء پڑھتے اور اسے عوام کے لئے قابل فہم بناتے )
ابو فراز نے اس کا اچھا ترجمہ کیا ہے۔ سائنسی اصطلاحات کو ساتھ ساتھ انگلش میں بھی لکھا ہے۔ ساڑھے پانچ سو سے زائد صفحات پر مشتمل کتاب کثیرالجہت ہے۔ اسکی تفہیم اگر کی جائے تو ایک اور کتاب لکھی جا سکتی ہے۔ کاش یہ مقدس پتھر کوئی ہمارے لئے اٹھائے فی الحال ہم ابھی قرات کے درجے پر ہیں۔
پانچ ستارے کی مستحق اس کتاب کا مطالعہ نہایت اہم ہے۔
از Faisal Majeed
یہ کتاب بتاتی ہے کہ اشتراکیت غیر موثر نہیں ہوئی بلکہ اسٹالن ازم اور اسکی نوکر شاہی ہار گئی ہے۔ اور نظریاتی طور پر آج بھی موثر ہے اور اسکے سرمایہ دارانہ پر اعتراضات آج بھی سچ ہیں۔
اس کتاب کا ایک اور نہایت اہم پہلو ہے۔ وہ ہے جدید سائنس۔ اصل بات یہ ہے کہ انسانی معلوم نہایت محدود ہے اور کائنات نہایت وسیع و عریض۔ سمندر کے کنارے بکھری ریت کے ایک ذرے کے مانند بسنے والی زمین کے باشندے کو تسخیر کائنات کا چیلنج در پیش ہے لیکن ابھی تفہیم کائنات کے مرحلے پر ہیں اور اسکے لئے سائنسی علوم کی مدد لی جاتی ہے جو کہ خود ارتقاء کے مرحلے پر ہے۔ ہر نیا دن ماضی کو جھٹلاتا ہے اور نامعلوم مستقبل کی طرف بڑھتے جا رہے ہیں۔ مصنفین نے نہایت جانفشانی سے جدید سائنسی علوم اور تحقیقات کو عوامی زبان میں جس طرح پیش کیا ہے وہ قابل رشک ہے۔ بہرحال اس کے لئے قارئین کا سائنسی علوم کی جدید بنیادوں کی آگاہی لازمی ہے۔ ( کاش یہ کتاب ہماری جامعات کے معزز اساتذہ اور طلباء پڑھتے اور اسے عوام کے لئے قابل فہم بناتے )
ابو فراز نے اس کا اچھا ترجمہ کیا ہے۔ سائنسی اصطلاحات کو ساتھ ساتھ انگلش میں بھی لکھا ہے۔ ساڑھے پانچ سو سے زائد صفحات پر مشتمل کتاب کثیرالجہت ہے۔ اسکی تفہیم اگر کی جائے تو ایک اور کتاب لکھی جا سکتی ہے۔ کاش یہ مقدس پتھر کوئی ہمارے لئے اٹھائے فی الحال ہم ابھی قرات کے درجے پر ہیں۔
پانچ ستارے کی مستحق اس کتاب کا مطالعہ نہایت اہم ہے۔
از Faisal Majeed
August 4, 2025
Do not take this book seriously! You will be laughed at by anyone who knows what they're talking about.
It is the worst book I own or have ever read. Full of inaccuracies, terrible logic and zero reasoning. It is so bad it calls into question everything else that these people have wrote.
They fail at the fundamentals of discerning how we know things, how can I trust them in discerning truth elsewhere? I can't even get a paragraph into the majority of sections in this book without coming across something wildly wrong.
I got recommended this book by a friend. I'm now very concerned about the party they have joined. Is this suppose to convince me to join? Any scientist worth their salt would be deeply concerned after reading this.
This is the worst and most dangerous kind of pseudoscience and does nothing for the working class, in fact it actively hurts them and communism. The only use for this book would be to practice how to point out bad reasoning.
It is the worst book I own or have ever read. Full of inaccuracies, terrible logic and zero reasoning. It is so bad it calls into question everything else that these people have wrote.
They fail at the fundamentals of discerning how we know things, how can I trust them in discerning truth elsewhere? I can't even get a paragraph into the majority of sections in this book without coming across something wildly wrong.
I got recommended this book by a friend. I'm now very concerned about the party they have joined. Is this suppose to convince me to join? Any scientist worth their salt would be deeply concerned after reading this.
This is the worst and most dangerous kind of pseudoscience and does nothing for the working class, in fact it actively hurts them and communism. The only use for this book would be to practice how to point out bad reasoning.
April 9, 2024
An Unreasonably Revolting Book
"Reason in Revolt" deserves the same contempt you'd give to someone that claimed Marxism proves the Earth is flat. At its best it is the unscientific rambling of a conspiracy theorist. At its worst it is the angry ranting of a cult leader. It's an insult to both science and Marxism.
For a thorough rebuttal -- of the science, of the philosophy, of the politics -- of this bitter nonsense, I would wholeheartedly recommend Peter Mason's excellent "Science, Marxism and the Big Bang".
"Reason in Revolt" deserves the same contempt you'd give to someone that claimed Marxism proves the Earth is flat. At its best it is the unscientific rambling of a conspiracy theorist. At its worst it is the angry ranting of a cult leader. It's an insult to both science and Marxism.
For a thorough rebuttal -- of the science, of the philosophy, of the politics -- of this bitter nonsense, I would wholeheartedly recommend Peter Mason's excellent "Science, Marxism and the Big Bang".
January 24, 2022
Definitely not an easy read, the book takes a stroll through almost every scientific study and applies a materialist dialectic to these processes. A bit dated, as any book or text becomes once published, but the application of a sociological, scientific and philosophical lens to create a broad philosophy of life is unlike anything in most modern philosophical or scientific texts. A must read for any person interested in the sciences and understanding the world that we exist in.
September 27, 2020
Banyak pembaca yang mengeluh kalau sains yang dikupas di buku ini sudah tua dan kadaluarsa. Tetapi yang sesungguhnya dikupas di buku ini bukanlah konten sainsnya, tetapi dinamika historis dari perkembangan sains. Perkembangan sains bukan terjadi di otak manusia saja, tetapi adalah bagian dari perkembangan sejarah materialisme (historical materialism).
January 14, 2020
Buku insightful, terutama di bagian filsafat, materialisme, dialektika, determinisme, reduksionisme, matafisika, logika, dan pendekatan mekanistik.
Di bagian lain masih pusing dan perlu mencari bandingannya dari buku lain.
Di bagian lain masih pusing dan perlu mencari bandingannya dari buku lain.
February 8, 2022
A lot of the science was a bit over my head but I learned a lot reading this. Recommended to anyone interested in the history of dialectical materialism, science and philosophy.
December 16, 2022
Almost 30 years after it's first release this book is still an amazing read and incredibly relevant for every marxist. It's truly a modern dialectics of nature.
Currently reading
January 23, 2008...still warming up by entering the pre-chapter one;)
In preface, the writer suggested that socialism is the best way to replace capitalism:) especially for country like Indonesia. Which one is better?
In preface, the writer suggested that socialism is the best way to replace capitalism:) especially for country like Indonesia. Which one is better?
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews