ABSTRACT
Political ideologies are usually distinguished from scientific theories by their lack of impartiality and their commitment to the implementation of a set of political ideals. Where science is factual and value-free, political ideologies deal in opinions and prescriptions. Science is about what is, and ideology about what ought to be. Proponents of Marxism have distinguished it from other political ideologies precisely on the grounds that it is a science and not an ideology. The accounts of Marx's scientific socialism utilise, usually unconsciously, different conceptions of science. Whichever is the dominant model of the time colours the portrayal of Marx's science being given. At different times Marxism has been interpreted to fit the models of science put forward by scientific positivism, critical rationalism, scientific conventionalism and scientific realism. In each case the philosophy of science embraced has been taken to be the true account of science and Marxism has been taken to exemplify the particular conception of science.
