What *object* or *entity* does psychology study?

Yoshie Furuhashi furuhashi.1 at osu.edu
Mon Jan 10 13:24:15 PST 2000


Doug:
>>In a communist society, if human beings ever achieve it, historical
>>materialism is not likely to be an indispensable tool, and thus it can
>>imagine its own future irrelevance and hopes to achieve it (and that is why
>>Marx & Engels refrained from speaking in detail about what communism will
>>be like, except in a negative manner, "limited for the most part to what
>>will disappear").
>Wow, this sounds almost religious - a Paradise on earth

I don't think the elimination of capitalism -- a specific constraint upon possibilities of free development of human beings -- makes for a Paradise. The abolition of capitalism in itself, I think, is not likely to make root canals disappear, to take just one example.


>As for the argument that linking Christianity with revolution is
>Eurocentric - isn't Marxism itself of European origin? And hasn't
>Christianity had a massive influence in Latin America, Africa, and
>even parts of Asia?

Christianity mainly owes its global reach to the history of imperialism; it originally came to Asia, Africa, and Latin America as a tool of oppression (and that is why Japan, never directly colonized by any European power, has few Christians). Christianity in the Third World has hence been redefined by some left-wing Christians, but those are in the minority. Marxism is an indispensable tool for the liberation of humanity from capitalism and imperialism. Further, Christianity legitimates sexism in theory and practice, and many of the believers encourage homophobia. Look at what happened to the Polish women, for instance, after the end of socialism (such as it was) and the coming into power of a Christian-influenced movement.

Anyhow, if you think that a combination of Marxism and Christianity is wonderful, why don't you start with yourself. Noone is stopping you from trying (that would be the fourth conversion: Marx - the Party of the Right - Marx [from anti-pomo to pro-pomo] - Marx + Christianity + Postmodernism!!!). Enjoy your symptom!

Yoshie



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list