Correct Option (D):
Dialectical materialism is the philosophical framework developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to explain historical development and societal change. It posits that history progresses through the conflict of opposing material forces, rather than abstract ideas. Marx applied this theory to analyze society, identifying class struggle-specifically between the bourgeoisie (the owning class) and the proletariat (the working class)-as the primary engine of historical transformation. Marx adapted the dialectical method from Hegel but grounded it in material conditions, emphasizing economic and social relations as fundamental.
Incorrect Options:
Empirical liberalism: This political philosophy emphasizes individual rights, liberty, and limited government, often based on empirical observation and experience. It does not offer a theory of class struggle in the Marxist sense.
Existentialism: This philosophical movement focuses on individual existence, freedom, responsibility, and the search for meaning in a world without inherent purpose. It is concerned with subjective experience and individual choices, not with socio-economic class conflict as a driver of historical change.
Darwin's theory of evolution: This is a biological theory explaining the origin and development of species through natural selection and adaptation. It describes biological processes and is unrelated to socio-economic theories of class struggle or historical materialism.