No Megalomania in Capitalism (was Re: seth & defusingkoreatensions)

[Carrol Cox]

"J. Barkley Rosser, Jr." wrote:

>
>      I would also suggest to anybody who does not like hearing
> Kim Il Sung labeled as "megalomaniac," to go look at one of
> his official biographies.  The guy is virtually a universal savior,
> according to these, certainly great enough to have a whole
> philosophy named for himself, "Kimilsungism," not to mention
> having most people in his country wearing pins with his picture
> on them and having a humongous statue of himself built.  If this
> is not megalomania, then it does not exist.  But, then, perhaps
> some on this list believe that he deserved such praise.....

Could it be a calculated campaign to maintain political loyalty?
There would be real objections to that also -- but at least it's
an argument that avoids mindreading. "Mindreading" is my label
for any ascription of explanatory power to Providence -- uh, I
mean to psychology. In other words, I might agree or disagree
with descriptions of the practices of the NK state as wrong, stupid,
authoritarian, etc. but I would not dislike hearing them. I dislike
hearing moralistic or psychological labels applied to anyone, marxist
or non-marxist. I regard all such explanations as unprincipled. The
only explanation of intentions (as opposed to practices or actions)
that I accept as principled is the explanation given by the agent
him/herself. So you can say that Kim's *practices* were totally
incapable of achieving his intentions, but "megalomaniac" is
pure superstition, no matter who it is applied to.

Carrol