[lbo-talk] Marx's Rejection of a Moral Critique of Capital

[c b]

Ethics or morality is a judgment of how we treat _other_ people, our
selflessness.   Self-interested acts may be immoral or amoral.   Marx
and Engels appeal to the self-interest of the working class in the
main thesis of Marxism.  Thus , the main thesis of Marxism is amoral.
However, Marx and Engels themselves were not working class , so their
enormous work on behalf of the working class is selfless and thereby
moral. Marxism appeals to the working class to act out of
self-interest, not to act out of moral outrage against the
capitalists. Marxism does appeal to the middle strata, intellectuals,
lbo-talk to act out of moral concern.

Also, our anti-Koch brother rhetoric is aimed at an audience that is
overwhelmingly non-Marxist; So, appeals to their sense of moral
outrage at the Koch's is necessary.

Charles


>
> Moral criticism of the Koch brothers is anti-Marxist.
>
> Carrol

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There is a legitimate distinction between non-Marxist and anti-Marxist
arguments regarding profits, investment, coercion, causality etc. Just
as there are legitimate critiques of the same that eschew moral
discourse altogether.

Ian