Dialectical materialism
The philosophical basis of Marxism is dialectical materialism, an outgrowth of Hegel's dialectics. It uses the concepts of thesis, antithesis and synthesis to explain the growth and development of human history. Although Hegel and Marx themselves never used the "thesis, antithesis, synthesis" model to summarize dialectics or dialectical materialism, it is now commonly accepted as illustrating the overall essence of the philosophy.
While dialectical materialism has been traditionally associated almost exclusively with Marxism, the philosophy is applicable to a contemporary worldview as well. There is nothing in either the concept of dialectic as elaborated by Hegel or in materialism itself which requires Marxism. However, because Marxism is essentially free of traditional theological influences, it is particularly well-suited to dialectical materialism, and a comparable political system based on the philosophy has not yet emerged.
Dialectical materialism was foreshadowed in Taoism, an ostensibly materialistic philsophical system which, being free of supernatural elements, posits a naturalistic unity of complementary polarities known as Yin and Yang. This co-substantial union of opposites, known as the Taiji or 'Supreme Ultimate,' is a forerunner of modern dialectical thinking.
