Historical-Dialectical Demarcationism

A Marxist-inspired approach to the demarcation problem, arguing that the boundary between science and non-science is not timeless but historically produced and tied to class struggles and modes of production. It holds that what counts as “science” in a capitalist society serves bourgeois interests (e.g., marginalizing worker knowledge, greenwashing). Conversely, a socialist science might include participatory research, indigenous knowledge, and dialectical methods. Historical-dialectical demarcationism does not abandon truth; it insists that truth is historical and that current scientific institutions are shaped by power. It is a radical alternative to both positivist and postmodernist demarcation.

Example: “Historical-dialectical demarcationism argues that the exclusion of homeopathy from ‘science’ was not purely epistemic but also political—it threatened pharmaceutical profits. Meanwhile, corporate-funded nutrition studies were accepted without similar scrutiny.”

Historical-Dialectical Demarcationism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal June 1, 2026