AN OVERVIEW OF MODERN ATHEISM

in human society is an automatic process of material action and reaction—or class conflict. Karl Marx called this ‘historical determinism’ or ‘dialectical materialism’. He argued that, as a result of ineluctable factors inherent in society, two classes are produced. For historical reasons, there is a clash between the two classes, which leads to the obliteration of one class, and thus one class is replaced by another. In this way, owing to these internal causes, human society continues to make progress. This ‘cause’ discovered by Karl Marx and his colleagues proved to be a mere supposition, however. Marx’s predictions were disproved and attempts to translate them into reality in the long run proved abortive. It is common knowledge that a revolution was brought about by the use of force in the Soviet Union in 1917, under the banner of Marx’s communist ideology. But after attempts to put this ideology into practice on a large scale, it had to be finally discarded. Modern Consumerism Modern consumerism is another example of this nature. Man has a limitless desire to accumulate goods of all kinds which will bring him comfort and luxury. Industrial progress appeared to make this feasible. It was as if modern industry was the cause which could result in all kinds of instant gratification. People all over the world then rushed to shopping centres to buy goods, only to find that this ‘cause’ again proved to be a supposition. They did not take into consideration the fact that the production of these goods was never going to bring them Paradise, as the production of consumer goods came at the cost of making the present world uninhabitable for man. For instance, cars and aeroplanes made travelling very easy, but their functioning resulted—to an unmanageable extent—in the carbon emissions known as green-house gases. Scientists the world over have failed to find a solution to this problem. Air conditioning and the refrigeration of perishable goods have also contributed to tearing a large hole in the life-giving ozone layer of the upper atmosphere. This has proved to be an insolvable challenge to all life forms. This shows The truth is that the principle of causation was based originally on supposition. It was not an academic argument. But people, in their haste, were willing to give credence to a ‘concept’ which was a mere supposition rather than a reality.