> ... and failed to link it to the scientific aspect of historical materialism...
Um, what "scientific aspect of historical materialism"? To me, the claim that there is any scientific aspect of it requires some evidence, because it seems to be grounded in nothing but ideological belief.
When classical Marxists speak of "scientific materialism" or "scientific socialism" they're using a 19th century convention ... not speaking of Science as we understand it today, the whole toolkit of empiricism and the scientific method. They're talking about science more generally as ordered knowledge, and in contrast to a more 'utopian' socialist view of their French predecessors.
It's an outdated phraseology that doesn't mean what it sounds like in today's context.
It's also not really Marx's term, but Engels', and borrowed from Proudhon.
All right, but it was a post written in the 21st century. If you're going to use a 19th century formulation that "doesn't mean what it sounds like in today's context", then that's not very good communication.
If people like claudiawerner really want to communicate, they ought to rewrite Marx's concepts in today's language. Most of us aren't going to learn Marx's terms in order to examine his ideas.
Um, what "scientific aspect of historical materialism"? To me, the claim that there is any scientific aspect of it requires some evidence, because it seems to be grounded in nothing but ideological belief.