Genius vision of scientific knowledge becoming a direct productive force

BBK- Karl Marx is a great thinker in human history, the pinnacle of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, the author of the surplus value theory, the founder of scientific communism, the genius leader of the world working class, born on May 5, 1818 and died on March 14, 1883. Although it has been more than two centuries, the system of Marx's theories, viewpoints, and visions still have value in today's era. Among them, the viewpoint on the role of science and technology and the vision of scientific knowledge becoming a direct productive force are accompanying humans in the 21st century.

C. Marx devoted his whole life to fighting for happiness for everyone. (Source: tuyengiao.vn)

Marx's consistent view on the development of society and human beings is: Material production is the ultimate decisive factor. He divided the entire material production of human beings into common modes of production: primitive communism, slave ownership, feudalism, capitalism and communism with the first stage being the socialist mode of production.

The dialectical negative movement from low to high between modes of production ultimately determines the movement of human society from a lower socio -economic form to a higher socio-economic form. With such a vision, Marx “decoded” the final decisive factor that created the movement of history: Not due to any “absolute idea”, nor due to the role of the superman, and certainly not by chance or arbitrariness…, but due to the development of the material production of the whole society, often referred to generally as social production.

In his research on social production in general, especially on production methods, Marx always affirmed that the productive forces, including means of production and workers, are constantly "moving" factors and have the final decisive role in production relations as well as in the process of moving the entire mode of production to a more advanced mode.

The means of production, including labor tools, equipment, machines, etc., reflect the level of human relationship with the natural world. Marx describes the primitive way of human relationship with the natural world: "Humans use the natural forces belonging to their bodies: arms, legs, head and two hands" (1) and later, humans learned to use the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of objects, to use those objects as tools to act on other objects according to their purposes.

These objects are called “organs” by Marx, which enable the worker to extend his hands and make the process of acting on nature more effective. The more sophisticated the “organs”, the more extensive and specialized production becomes.

With exemplary scientific thinking, Marx presented a genius vision of scientific knowledge becoming a direct productive force, when the means of production replace both manual and intellectual labor of humans: “The development of fixed capital is an indicator of the extent to which universal social knowledge (wissen, knowledge) has been transformed into a direct productive force, and therefore it is also an indicator of the extent to which the conditions of the social life process itself have submitted to the control of universal intelligence and have been transformed to suit that process…”(2).

Today, a series of modern technological devices replace many forms of intellectual labor, including creative artistic labor that is deeply expressive, proving the great Marx's thesis.

Not only did Marx make predictions, he also clearly stated the conditions for scientific knowledge to become a direct productive force. First, there must be industrial production. Second, science must be directed towards serving production. Third, there must be the capacity to apply science and technology to production.

Expressed in another way, this means: Scientific knowledge must be materialized into tools of labor and operated in production through practical human activities. “The development of the machine system on that path only begins when large-scale industry has reached a higher level of development and all sciences are put at the service of capital, and the existing machine system itself has enormous resources.

Thus, invention becomes a special profession, and for that profession the application of science to direct production itself becomes one of the decisive and stimulating factors”(3).

Thoroughly understanding Marx's viewpoint, leader V. Lenin attached special importance to the task of developing science and technology and applying scientific and technological achievements to production in order to improve labor productivity in the cause of building socialism. He repeatedly pointed out that socialism can only succeed, ultimately, through labor productivity and the level of socialization of productive forces (4), both of which are created by science and technology.

In the process of building socialism in Vietnam, our Party and State consistently consider the scientific and technological revolution as the key among the three revolutions that must be carried out simultaneously; developing science and technology is the top national policy. Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024 of the Politburo continues to identify the development of science and technology together with innovation and digital transformation as breakthroughs, prerequisites and opportunities to achieve strategic goals and tasks in the era of prosperous development of the Vietnamese nation. Such correct guidelines and policies on scientific and technological development all have theoretical basis from Marx's perspective on the role of science and technology and his vision of scientific knowledge becoming a direct productive force.

Based on Marx's point of view, it is necessary to clarify that scientific and technological development and innovation are two tasks that are unified but not identical, and are organically linked but not confused. Scientific and technological development is the building of basic scientific knowledge, technical knowledge, and fundamental technology. Innovation is the application of that basic and fundamental knowledge into practice to innovate production, business, and service technology, etc.

These tasks form the stages, even the steps, of the general scientific and technological development process. The latecomers have the opportunity and ability to shorten the time of each stage, each step, leading to shortening the time of the whole process. On the path to the heights of science and technology, we are truly proud and appreciate that Marx's theory is still shining and guiding!

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(1) C. Marx and F. Engels: Complete Works. National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1995, vol. 23, p. 266.

(2) C. Marx and F. Engels: Ibid, vol. 46, part II, p. 372.

(3) C. Marx and F. Engels: Ibid., vol. 46, part II, p. 367.

(4) VILenin: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2006, vol. 39, p. 25.

Associate Professor, Dr. NGUYEN VIET THAO

Member of the Central Theoretical Council, former Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

According to nhandan.vn

Source: https://baobackan.vn/tam-nhin-thien-tai-ve-tri-thuc-khoa-hoc-tro-thanh-luc-luong-san-xuat-truc-tiep-post70597.html