And yeah, it was a pretty wild idea at the time - the 27-year-old Marx was beginning to toy with the notion of tipping Hegel upside down in a philosophical environment still ruled by 'the German Ideology' as represented by Karl's erstwhile drinking buddies (who cop an absolute earful in the book).
Cheers, Rob.
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Sounds right to me, but . . . You might note I never specifically alluded to 'activism' in opposition to contemplation. That was the instant assumption of CC.
One can engage in noble, selfless activism to zero useful political effect. This indubitable fact upsets people because it is taken as a necessary slur on the motives of well- meaning people. That it can be deployed as a slur is true enough, but there is also an objective problem in question.
Emotions, sometime masquerading as philosophy, often seem to get in the way of a realistic discussion. LP is the best example of this-- posting some news account of another atrocity of capitalism as a substitute for argument.
Most of the people I deal w/professionally think that what I do is just as impractical or noxious as what I think CC and some others do (activism or contemplation). The difference I think is that I realize there is a problem to be solved, whereas others delude themselves into thinking the answer is obvious--that politics is easy.
mbs