Capitalism appears to many to be a failed system, leading to extreme inequality and ecological devastation. We’re also told that the alternative posed by Karl Marx is similarly bankrupt, as proved by the failures of state socialism. But what if Marx’s vision for a postcapitalist future has little in common with the experience of the Soviet Union and China? Peter Hudis argues that freedom — including from a repressive state apparatus — was central to Marx’s concept of life after capitalism.
Resources:
Peter Hudis, Marx’s Concept of the Alternative to Capitalism Haymarket Books, 2013
Great podcast. The reason no progress is every made on this is firstly because the terms are never defined. When the dreaded mention of the word socialism occurs people talk Stalin, Mao, Castro … and none of them were socialist. Not only that, but the conversation never goes beyond that, implying that the whole discussion is merely false facade to make sure the people cannot get anywhere and thus democratically demand their rights, — because that is what I see socialism as, the demand for democratic rights in any variety of anti-democratic society where some people have the power and wealth and have set up institutions to keep others out and to exploit them.
Since all of us were born way past when these dynamics of social stability through ignorance and repression were well understood, we must consider that most of what we hear in the context of discussion might be what serves the established order the best, and if we seek to criticize and improve our own lots and our own society we must start at the beginning with primary sources. Not that we cannot take idea and motivations from the past, but whatever has survived from the past must serve a purpose of the past.
We are philosophically much closer than we realize and I think that Peter Hudis demonstrates this with his work. However, I think that realistically we are off the mark in every other way. The following is a portion of the bio of a colleague at the college that he is affiliated with:
“She makes her home in both Milwaukee, WI and Mount Prospect, IL with
her partner their two children, five cats, and a big goofy dog. She
continues to make a living as an actress, director, props master and
theatre educator in the professional theatre community of Milwaukee.”
In an ecological age we cannot have more than one offspring and we cannot maintain more than one household. (We can have more than one household but not in the current configuration.) I’m more than happy to discuss this…
I ordered the book but was struck by the anti-Trump literature of the publisher. While no fan of Trump, I can see that the alternative, a woman who made $225000 or more telling people what they wanted to hear, is not to be trusted to steer the country in a positive direction… The left is completely clueless in the recognition that we are on a dead end street.
PARTIDO ENGELS (PACIFIST) AND ZIONIST-MARXIST-LENINIST LEAGUE (PACIFIST) JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ:
PACIFICA FOUNDATION IS A PROFOUNDLY ANTI-SEMITIC AND ANTI-ZIONIST RADIO NETWORK!
PACIFICA FOUNDATION TRIES TO DEFEAT THE PROLETARIAN REVOLUTION!
DOWN WITH THE EVIL AND COUNTERREVOLUTIONARY PACIFICA FOUNDATION!
The triangle of revolution:
Marxism-Leninism at the apex
Zionism
Pacifism
At the base
The pyramid of revolution:
Marxism-Leninism at the apex
Pacifism
Zionism
Shamanism
Taoism
At the base
IT’S A NEW HORIZON!