Philosophical materialism leaves no room for convention
Philosophical materialism questions the validity of conventions such as property, the state and money. Is it viable, or an unattainable utopia? An analysis of the different positions.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Philosophical materialism: the urge to erase the conventional
In philosophical materialism, institutions such as private property, states and money are regarded as mere conventions, capable of being eliminated. This position, defended by thinkers such as Marx and refined by Gustavo Bueno, clashes with the reality of their persistence and raises doubts about the viability of a consistent materialism. The analysis of the opposing positions reveals a debate over whether philosophy can truly do without the conventional without falling into contradictions.
The eliminative impulse of materialism
The materialist current, even in its cruder variants, shows a tendency to eradicate the conventional. In Marx, this translates into the abolition of private property, nation states and money. The irony, however, is that historical Marxism has reinforced those very institutions, generating an internal contradiction. In the philosophical materialism of Gustavo Bueno, a conceptual cage is developed that categorises reality into M1 (physical-corporeal materiality) and M2 (subjective materiality), but it does not escape the same tension: wanting to eliminate the conventional without being able to do so completely.
Criticism of Gustavo Bueno
Bueno's system is not free of criticism. Some analysts point out that his philosophy has the hallmarks of a sect, depending on the author's charisma for its survival. He is accused of charlatanism and unfavourably compared with more rigorous materialists such as Mario Bunge. The proliferation of self-proclaimed philosophers on digital platforms has further degraded the discipline, and Bueno, despite his entertaining television verbosity, fails to escape that trend. The question that remains is whether philosophical materialism can overcome its own contradiction: proposing the abolition of the conventional without falling into an unattainable utopia or a mere academic exercise.
Related debates in the forum
In philosophical materialism, institutions such as private property, states and money are regarded as mere conventions, capable of being eliminated. This position, defended by thinkers such as Marx and refined by Gustavo Bueno, clashes with the reality of their persistence and raises doubts about the viability of a consistent materialism. The analysis of the opposing positions reveals a debate over whether philosophy can truly do without the conventional without falling into contradictions.
The eliminative impulse of materialism
The materialist current, even in its cruder variants, shows a tendency to eradicate the conventional. In Marx, this translates into the abolition of private property, nation states and money. The irony, however, is that historical Marxism has reinforced those very institutions, generating an internal contradiction. In the philosophical materialism of Gustavo Bueno, a conceptual cage is developed that categorises reality into M1 (physical-corporeal materiality) and M2 (subjective materiality), but it does not escape the same tension: wanting to eliminate the conventional without being able to do so completely.
Criticism of Gustavo Bueno
Bueno's system is not free of criticism. Some analysts point out that his philosophy has the hallmarks of a sect, depending on the author's charisma for its survival. He is accused of charlatanism and unfavourably compared with more rigorous materialists such as Mario Bunge. The proliferation of self-proclaimed philosophers on digital platforms has further degraded the discipline, and Bueno, despite his entertaining television verbosity, fails to escape that trend. The question that remains is whether philosophical materialism can overcome its own contradiction: proposing the abolition of the conventional without falling into an unattainable utopia or a mere academic exercise.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (5 replies).
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