Lenin without dogmatism

Pateman, Joe

Abstract

A longstanding criticism of Lenin is that his epistemological contributions to the theory of scientific socialism prompted the decline of Marxism in dogmatism and despotism in the twentieth century. According to this narrative, Lenin claimed to possess the objective truth, and he therefore refused to tolerate alternative perspectives. This article subjects these claims to a textual analysis, and it argues that they are erroneous. Lenin defends a fallibilist account of science that affirms the uncertainty of knowledge in the natural, philosophical and social sciences. This fallibilism pervades the text that supposedly showcases his intolerance, Materialism and Empirio- Criticism. Lenin’s scientific socialism opposes rigid conceptions of socialism, and it encourages an atmosphere of democratic debate. Whilst Lenin’s writings have their flaws, they are not the founding documents of Marxist dogmatism that they are often portrayed as being. Lenin is not the narrowminded vulgariser of Marxism that he is routinely taken to be.

Citation

Pateman, J. (2019). Lenin without dogmatism. Studies in East European Thought, 71(2), 99–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11212-019-09325-6

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 23, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Apr 8, 2019
• Publication Date: Jun 30, 2019
• Deposit Date: Feb 7, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 10, 2019
• Journal: Studies in East European Thought
• Print ISSN: 0925-9392
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-0948
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 71
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 99–117
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11212-019-09325-6
• Keywords: Lenin; Scientific socialism; Marxism; Dogmatism; Epistemology; Philosophy of science
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1525162
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11212-019-09325-6