Study On Cohen's Methodology For Defending Historical Materialism

Analytical Marxism is one of the Western Marxism research trends which came out in 1970's and was well-known by its methodology.In 1978,the excellent Marxist Cohen published the book Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence.It can be seen as the symbol of rise of Analytical Marxism.Based on combing Cohen defended historical materialism of the social and historical background,academic background and personal growing up experiences,this paper elucidates Cohen's methodology system,characteristics,gain and loss on the defense of historical materialism.In the end,this paper analyses the way to combine analytical Marxism methodology and dialectics to provide the theoretical basis for constructing more scientific Marxism research method,showing the traits of materialistic dialectics,improving the research level of Chinese Marxism.This paper argues that Cohen's methodology on the defense of historical materialism includes four specific methods and two characteristics.The four specific methods are respectively daily language analysis method,concept analysis method,logic formal analysis method and proof and counter method.The two characteristics one is emphasizing the method of analysis and negating the dialectical methods,another is supporting individualism and opposing holism.The rationality of Cohen's methodology mainly is that its original intention is to defend Marxism and try to increase the operability and explanatory power of Marxist theory by introducing a new method.And its limitations embodied in the distortion of basic concepts,the deficiency of basic propositional arguments,the misunderstanding of interpretation way,the deviation understanding of the historical nature,the ambiguity of the historical law,the omission of historical values,etc.According to the methodology of the non-absolutization principle,the scientific principle and the hierarchical principle,it can be found that there are three shortcomings in the method of analytic philosophy compared with materialist dialectics.Firstly,it is too absolute to pay close attention to the object of study itself.Secondly,it is lack of sufficient scientific proof and fails to reflect the inner law and essence of historical materialism.In the study of historical materialism,this paper argues that Cohen set out from "defense",but failed to truly defend historical materialism.But this does not mean that the methodology of scientism has no value in the study of historical materialism.It doesn't mean to stop exploring the methodology of the research of historical materialism.Different methodologies can be integrated.