--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lenin clearly and unambiguously poses the…" description: "\"“Lenin clearly and unambiguously poses the question of the relationship between the ‘form’ of materialism and its ‘essence’, of the impermissibility of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/evald-ilyenkov-179527_dialectical-material_lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-th_1080432.jpg" --- # Lenin clearly and unambiguously poses the question of the… ![“Lenin clearly and unambiguously poses the question of the relationship between the ‘form’ of materialism and its ‘essence’, of the impermissibility of identification of the former with the latter. The ‘form’ of materialism is found in those concrete-scientific ideas about the constitution of…” quote by Evald Ilyenkov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/evald-ilyenkov-179527_dialectical-material_lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-th_1080432.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/evald-ilyenkov-179527_dialectical-material_lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-th_1080432.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/evald-ilyenkov-179527_dialectical-material_lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-th_1080432.jpg) > ““Lenin clearly and unambiguously poses the question of the relationship between the ‘form’ of materialism and its ‘essence’, of the impermissibility of identification of the former with the latter. The ‘form’ of materialism is found in those concrete-scientific ideas about the constitution of matter (about the ‘physical’, about ‘atoms and electrons’) and in natural scientific generalizations of these ideas that are inevitably turn out to be historically limited, changing, subject to reconsideration by the natural science itself. The ‘essence’ of materialism is found in the acceptance of the objective reality that exists independently of human cognition and that is only reflected in it. The creative development of dialectical materialism on the basis of the ‘philosophical conclusions derived from the newest discoveries of natural science’ is, according to Lenin, found not in the reconsideration of this essence and not in making the ideas of natural scientists eternal, but in the deepening of the understanding of the ‘relationship between cognition and the physical world’ that is connected with these new ideas about nature. The dialectical understanding of the relationship between the ‘form’ and ‘essence’ of materialism, and therefore, the relationship between ‘ontology’ and ‘epistemology’ constitutes the ‘spirit of dialectical materialism”” [Evald Ilyenkov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evald-ilyenkov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lenin distinguishes materialism's form (scientific concepts) from its essence (objective reality), urging continual refinement as science evolves. **In simple terms:** Science reshapes our view of materialism. Key Takeaway Update materialist views with new discoveries. Themes philosophy materialism science epistemology ontology Mood analytical academic serious Type Dialectical-materialism:1 Engels:0 Idealism:0 Lenin:1 Marx:0 Materialism:1 Natural science:1 Nature:0 Obscurantism:0 Philosophy:1 Religion:0 Science:1 Form Materialism:1 Dialectical Materialism:1 Essence Materialism:1 Materialism Basis:1 Materialism Essence:1 When to use this quote - academic research - education - political theory - public discourse Key Concepts dialectical materialism philosophical methodology history of science Questions to Reflect On - How to make dialectical materialism accessible? - What role does new science play? A Different Perspective Complex jargon can alienate non‑specialists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dialectical Materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialectical-materialism-2100785/) [Dialectical-materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialectical-materialism-46431/) [Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engels/) [Essence Materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence-materialism-2212924/) [Form Materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-materialism-1503530/) [Idealism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idealism/) [Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lenin/) [Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marx/) [Materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialism/) [Materialism Basis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialism-basis-2739731/) [Materialism Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialism-essence-2739732/) [Natural science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-science/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Obscurantism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscurantism/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“Those who have been forced to study 'dialectical materialism', the strange concoction that was supposed to form the philosophical foundation of Marxism in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-koonin/those-who-have-been-forced-to-study-dialectical-materialism-the/) [Eugene V. Koonin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-koonin/) > [“Humankind does not submit passively to the power of nature. It takes control over this power. This process is not an internal or subjective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/humankind-does-not-submit-passively-to-the-power-of-nature-it-takes/) [Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/) > [Our world, so we see and hear on all sides, is drowning in materialism, commercialism, consumerism. But the problem is not really there. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-needleman/our-world-so-we-see-and-hear-on-all-sides-is-drowning-in-materialism/) [Jacob Needleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-needleman/) > [“Too many of us die without knowing transcendent joy, in part because we pursue one form or another of materialism. We seek meaning in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/too-many-of-us-die-without-knowing-transcendent-joy-in-part-because/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [It seems to me that philosophers should be more relaxed about whether or not some form of materialism is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-burge/it-seems-to-me-that-philosophers-should-be-more-relaxed-about-whether/) [Tyler Burge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-burge/) > [“If there are no isolated phenomena in the world, if all phenomena are interconnected and interdependent, then it is clear that every social system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/if-there-are-no-isolated-phenomena-in-the-world-if-all-phenomena-are/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [“Ruthlessly, in despite of itself, the Enlightenment has extinguished any trace of its own self-consciousness. The only kind of thinking that is sufficiently hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-w-adorno/ruthlessly-in-despite-of-itself-the-enlightenment-has-extinguished/) [Theodor W. Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-w-adorno/) > [“In nineteenth century Europe (and later in other parts of the world) the transition from a subsistence to a market economy based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-burke-leacock/in-nineteenth-century-europe-and-later-in-other-parts-of-the-world/) [Eleanor Burke Leacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-burke-leacock/) > [ “\[Letter to his wife, Natalia Sedova\] In addition to the happiness of being a fighter for the cause of socialism, fate gave me the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/letter-to-his-wife-natalia-sedova-in-addition-to-the-happiness-of/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [Marxism is not only the theory of socialism, it is an integral world outlook, a philosophical system, from which Marx’s proletarian socialism logically follows.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/marxism-is-not-only-the-theory-of-socialism-it-is-an-integral-world/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Dialectical materialism works like cocaine, let's say. If you sniff it once or twice, it may not change your life. If you use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolae-ceausescu/dialectical-materialism-works-like-cocaine-let-s-say-if-you-sniff-it/) [Nicolae Ceausescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolae-ceausescu/) > [A US Department of Education; implementation of a scientific materialist philosophy; studies, being cleansed of religious, patriotic and other features of the bourgeois ideology;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-z-foster/a-us-department-of-education-implementation-of-a-scientific/) [William Z. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-z-foster/) > [“Orthodox Marxism, therefore, does not imply the uncritical acceptance of the results of Marx’s investigations. It is not the ‘belief’ in this or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gy-rgy-luk-cs/orthodox-marxism-therefore-does-not-imply-the-uncritical-acceptance/) [György Lukács](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gy-rgy-luk-cs/) > [As a scientist, I am not sure anymore that life can be reduced to a class struggle, to dialectical materialism, or any set of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-frolov/as-a-scientist-i-am-not-sure-anymore-that-life-can-be-reduced-to-a/) [Diane Frolov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-frolov/) > [“Wasn't modernism's greatest coup to destroy the notion of progression? And yet it still comes back in history books, in dialectical materialism, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kraus/wasn-t-modernism-s-greatest-coup-to-destroy-the-notion-of-progression/) [Chris Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kraus/) ## More Dialectical-materialism quotes > [“Ruthlessly, in despite of itself, the Enlightenment has extinguished any trace of its own self-consciousness. The only kind of thinking that is sufficiently hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-w-adorno/ruthlessly-in-despite-of-itself-the-enlightenment-has-extinguished/) [Theodor W. Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-w-adorno/) > [“In nineteenth century Europe (and later in other parts of the world) the transition from a subsistence to a market economy based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-burke-leacock/in-nineteenth-century-europe-and-later-in-other-parts-of-the-world/) [Eleanor Burke Leacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-burke-leacock/) > [“Those who have been forced to study 'dialectical materialism', the strange concoction that was supposed to form the philosophical foundation of Marxism in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-koonin/those-who-have-been-forced-to-study-dialectical-materialism-the/) [Eugene V. Koonin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-koonin/) > [“If there are no isolated phenomena in the world, if all phenomena are interconnected and interdependent, then it is clear that every social system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/if-there-are-no-isolated-phenomena-in-the-world-if-all-phenomena-are/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [“Humankind does not submit passively to the power of nature. It takes control over this power. This process is not an internal or subjective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/humankind-does-not-submit-passively-to-the-power-of-nature-it-takes/) [Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/) > [ “\[Letter to his wife, Natalia Sedova\] In addition to the happiness of being a fighter for the cause of socialism, fate gave me the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/letter-to-his-wife-natalia-sedova-in-addition-to-the-happiness-of/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) [Browse all 7 Dialectical-materialism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialectical-materialism-46431/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Lenin clearly and unambiguously poses the question of the relationship between the ‘form’ of materialism and its ‘essence’, of the impermissibility of identification of the former with the latter. The ‘form’ of materialism is found in those concrete-scientific ideas about the constitution of matter (about the ‘physical’, about ‘atoms and electrons’) and in natural scientific generalizations of these ideas that are inevitably turn out to be historically limited, changing, subject to reconsideration by the natural science itself. The ‘essence’ of materialism is found in the acceptance of the objective reality that exists independently of human cognition and that is only reflected in it. The creative development of dialectical materialism on the basis of the ‘philosophical conclusions derived from the newest discoveries of natural science’ is, according to Lenin, found not in the reconsideration of this essence and not in making the ideas of natural scientists eternal, but in the deepening of the understanding of the ‘relationship between cognition and the physical world’ that is connected with these new ideas about nature. The dialectical understanding of the relationship between the ‘form’ and ‘essence’ of materialism, and therefore, the relationship between ‘ontology’ and ‘epistemology’ constitutes the ‘spirit of dialectical materialism”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Evald Ilyenkov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evald-ilyenkov/lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-the-question-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dialectical-materialism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evald-ilyenkov/lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-the-question-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/evald-ilyenkov-179527_dialectical-material_lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-th_1080432.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/evald-ilyenkov-179527_dialectical-material_lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-th_1080432.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/evald-ilyenkov-179527_dialectical-material_lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-th_1080432.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lenin clearly and unambiguously poses the question of the relationship between the ‘form’ of materialism and…” — Evald Ilyenkov", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Evald Ilyenkov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evald-ilyenkov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Lenin clearly and unambiguously poses the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evald-ilyenkov/lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-the-question-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evald-ilyenkov/lenin-clearly-and-unambiguously-poses-the-question-of-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```