> I think this is rooted in Karl Marx's well-known refusal to write
> "cookbooks of the future," a weirdly blinkered view of the human
> prospect that, e.g., Carrol Cox occasionally endorses here on the
> list. Thomas Frank says Kansans are "plen-T-plaint" people who stew
> in indignation without any ability whatsoever to imagine a differently
> ordered society. I'd say what the US needs now is another Edward
> Bellamy (Looking Backward) who can capture the popular imagination and
> get people speculating again about the possibility of a socialist
> future.
Yes, another _Looking Backward_ would be helpful. (Parenthetically, is the "Left Behind" series functioning now like the _Looking Backward_ phenomenon did then, except from the right?) But I keep looking for self-described socialists who have some sort of plausible alternative to capitalism, but without much luck.
I always thought that Marx's refusal to write a future cookbook was a cop-out, but hey, I never said that I was an orthodox Marxist. I guess I'll just have to sit down and write my own.
On Jun 23, 2004, at 10:12 AM, BklynMagus wrote:
> Part of the problem is that nobody likes to hear that
> their pursuit of pleasure is something that chains them
> rather than freeing them.
Yes, this idea is very difficult for people to grasp. Perhaps I'll put a discourse on it in the first chapter of my cookbook.
> Well, if social issues can be ameliorated, then maybe a
> sizeable group of Americans will emerge who can then work
> in unison on economic issues. Victories in these areas give
> hope that change can be effected.
I think it would be too long a wait -- when are these social issues going to be ameliorated that much? The economic area should be tackled separately, IMHO.
> Also, many radicals say that solving the economic issues will
> solve the social issues, but their proof is often dense and
> difficult to comprehend.
I think they are partly right, but mostly wrong. A socialist (democratic, participatory, or whatever you want to call it) economic system would relieve some of the pressure which supports racism, sexism, etc., but by no means all of it. There would still be plenty of pretexts for inhuman attitudes and behavior left.
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ Had I been present at the Creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe. -- Attr. to Alfonso the Wise, King of Castile