Desire & Scarcity (was Re: Desire under the Elms)

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>Max Sawicky wrote:
>
>>Or put it this way.  The socialization of the means of
>>production/elimination of classes seems to connote an
>>absence of scarcity that does not obtain in *any* real
>>economy, where rationing of one sort or another is
>>inescapable.  Nice to imagine but hard to believe.
>
>Bingo. Which is why I think it's important to talk about the
>need/desire continuum. Our hardline Utopians seem to think that the
>abolition of capitalism, by means unspecified, and its replacement
>with an institutionally unspecified planning regime, will solve the
>scarcity problem, since people will have what they need. I don't
>think that's possible, nor do I think it's particularly desirable.
>Leave that to the neoprimitivist deep ecologists. But Carrol tells us
>we don't need to have a theory of psychology; blame it all on
>neurotransmitters, or don't blame it on anything at all. The
>revolution will resolve the Neurotransmitter Problem.
>
>Doug
>
>Yoshie,
>
>>And we'll have sex and sensually enjoy bodies (our own & others') without
>>gender & "sexuality" (conceived in our modern fashion as the Truth of the
>>Self).  The end of Platonic Love, the beginning of pleasant surprises &
>>lasting friendships.
>
>You mean sanitized and uncomplicated. Icky. Love/sex/desire without passion
>agony fear ecstasy jealousy anger joy sorrow desperation and all the
>attendant complex human emotions sounds dull and horrible to me. (I was
>reminded of this when I saw the movie The End of the Affair last weekend.)
>Expedient, yes; enjoyable, no.
>
>The thing is not to bend human desire--indeed, humanity--to fit utopia, but
>to make utopia conform to humanity--admittedly a much more difficult thing
>to accomplish.* But I for one would accept nothing less.
>
>Eric

I suppose some people think that the world without Scarcity as neoclassical
economists define it is _dull_ and _without enjoyment_.  Never mind whether
it is possible, since both Doug & Eric think it's _undesirable_.  I, on the
other hand, think that Scarcity makes us unable to enjoy what we can and to
develop new needs & desires that are incompatible with capitalism.

BTW, I have never thought of the world without "jealousy" to be "dull and
horrible" as Eric puts it.  Isn't "jealousy" petty, boring, & unpleasant?

Anyhow, I have Marx, Oscar Wilde, & William Morris ("hardline Utopians"?)
on my side when it comes to the question of pleasures & desires, and we are
happy to part company with Doug, Eric, & Brad who want to remain in the
world of neoclassical Scarcity & Desire.  Enjoy your symptoms (or Chez
Panisse?).

Yoshie