Soriano, C. (2025). La crisis planetaria de habitabilidad desde la óptica del materialismo dialéctico. Disjuntiva, 6 (1), 23-37. https://doi.org/10.14198/DISJUNTIVA2025.6.1.2

The crisis of Earth’s habitability is analyzed here from an epistemological point of view. First, the relevance of philosophy for the development of positive modern sciences is emphasized. It is shown that the dominant epistemological paradigm in the social sciences and especially in economics is based on positivism and idealism, in sharp contrast to Marx’s understanding based on dialectics and materialism. The understanding of the Earth as a system and the crisis of the Earth’s habitability by the so-called Earth system science is also based on dialectics and materialism. However, when this science aims to provide a thorough understanding of the Earth system and its habitability crisis, it juxtaposes two antagonistic epistemological views, a dialectical and materialist one for the natural side of the system, and a positivist and idealist one for the human side. As a result, the Earth system and its dynamics, including the current habitability crisis, cannot be properly understood, and practical actions aimed at overcoming the crisis and not just mitigating its negative effects cannot be taken. It is shown that only a monist approach to both the social and natural sides, based on dialectics and materialism, is capable of providing such a thorough understanding that allows for the necessary practical actions to overcome the crisis.