Dennis Redmond wrote:
>
> Jesse wrote:
>
> > Why would anyone want to rethink Marxism? It was my impression that
> > it had already been rethought.
>
> Marxism (or whatever word we use to describe the struggle for human
> liberation in the era of capitalism) is one of those things which needs
> constant rethinking. Kind of like the way plants need water, or
> videogamers need Metal Gear Solid trailers.
>
1. Marxism is not a TOE -- and nothing in Marxism, rethought or not -- will help you describe the particulars of daily existence. (See my post today on change after WW2.)
2. Commodity fetishism 2006 is no different from commodity fetishism in 1590, except that only some elements of the popularion of England experienced it or participated in its generation then.
3. Tactics & strategies of struggle have to be continually rethought, but anyone who thinks that involves rethinking marxism has a religious view of marxism to begin with. Marxism implies the necessity of revolution, but marxist theory really doesn't imply any particular strategy of revolution. Nor will any amount of rethinking marxism make it generate a revolutionary strategy. (At a certain level of abstraction the tactics of revolution haven't changed since 1640 -- but that's another matter.)
Carrol