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<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV><EM>All our action is predicated on predictions about how the future will
be.</EM></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr>How is this a materialist conception of history, if the present
does not serve as the basis for all our action? </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>Pragmatism or not, the only way to find out
if theory is right or wrong is to engage in the world based on information and
knowledge from the present. Where does knowledge come from? We, as
human beings, receive our knowledge from nature and society-that is the world
around us. If we understand ourselves, one could see how fascinated Marx
was in regards to Darwin when it came to the human species, in that we have arms
to build, hands to handle and hold things, brains to think. The
function of the brain is understand the world around us through
cognition and figure out the world by being an active element within
it. What we have today-and especially in America is how much little
information we have about the world-and whatever information that does come
through via media the majority of people regard as information they can rely
on. Hence-the system is actually working 24/7 to counter what the brain
must do in order to make correct decisions about the world- its
anti-cognition. One of the main struggles being launched today is the
right to conscience-the ability to be able to think and rely on our own thinking
on what needs to be done in the world. One may find that one's
engagement with the world and the knowledge it receives from engaging in that
world actually counters that of the information constantly being fed through
media. And this is why Marxism is much more than just a social theory-it
encourages that one must act in finding out. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>One should take it upon themselves to find
out for themselves-</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=andie_nachgeborenen@yahoo.com
href="mailto:andie_nachgeborenen@yahoo.com">andie nachgeborenen</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=lbo-talk@lists.panix.com
href="mailto:lbo-talk@lists.panix.com">lbo-talk@lists.panix.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, February 09, 2003 11:36
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Relevance of Marxism</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>> The point is to not degrade or shut out any
possibility for any revolution or social movement to take place, Communist or
not. It is the wrong way to build any social movement...reality will
determine what is needed and what will be. [This is the reason why I
shun your comment: "This is not going to change." unless you have
foreknowledge of the future, this comment can not be taken seriously in any
sort of analysis] </FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">
<P>It's a terrible mistake to say, how do you knwo what the future will be?
All our action is predicated on predictions about how the future will be. We
pragmatists (I don't include you in thsi) think that a beliefg is a
prediction made about the future that will support an action. Because we
might be wrong, all our beliefs are fallible. I might be wrong about
Marxism. But it's not an answer to my worry to say, how do you knwo? Ity's
not certain. You might be wrong! Of course I might be wrong. Nonetheless,
I've explained why I think I am not, I've set out the basis of my
prediction. I don't shut out the possibility that there will be radical
social change, even something that might be described as a social
revolution. Because I think that historical materialism is true, I think
there is good basis to say this. But because I am acquainted with the
history of Marxism and the broad generalizations that can be made about
defeated social movements, I doubt that this change will be Marxist, that
is, that it will call itself Marxist, that it will use that vocabulary,
those organizational forms, and so forth. At this point, I think the burden
is on the believers to show that Marxism is more than a good theory. </P>
<P>jks</P></BLOCKQUOTE>
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