From whom did Karl Marx adopt the dialectical method?

The correct answer is From Hegel.

 Key Points

• Hegel's dialectic, a cornerstone of his philosophy, involves the process of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. This dialectical process is a method of understanding and explaining the development of ideas and the world, where a thesis (an idea or state) encounters its opposite (the antithesis), leading to a conflict or contradiction that is eventually resolved in a synthesis, a new and higher state that reconciles the contradictions.
• Marx took this dialectical method but applied it in a materialist manner, contrasting with Hegel's idealist approach. While Hegel saw the dialectical process as primarily a feature of consciousness and ideas leading to the unfolding of absolute spirit, Marx saw it as rooted in material conditions and social relations. This approach is known as dialectical materialism.
• For Marx, the dialectic was not about the realm of ideas but about the material world and the conflicts within it, particularly those related to class struggle and the modes of production. Marx believed that societal change occurs through the conflict between opposing social forces, particularly between different social classes.
• The contradictions inherent in the economic structure of society, such as those between the bourgeoisie (the owning class who controls the means of production) and the proletariat (the working class who sell their labor), drive historical change. This conflict leads to the development of new social, economic, and political structures in a process that Marx saw as both revolutionary and evolutionary.

 Additional Information

• While Marx adopted Hegel's dialectical method, he transformed it into a tool for understanding and critiquing the material and social forces driving historical and societal change, laying the foundation for his theories of capitalism, class struggle, and historical materialism.