In a hurry, as I must meet with someone soon. In order to process this paragraph I had to copy it into a Word file and break it up into paragraphs. Printing it out, will look it over with care later.
Will work on "dialectical materialism"--needs a complete overhaul, keeping in mind this is not for an academic audience. Check google books--I don't think you will get much of Bottomore there, but maybe some snippets or an article. I will check my web site: I have some old pedagogical materials there, of historical if not current value. Dictionary should seek to explain, varying points of view if necessary, not preach. Marxists Internet Archive has some pedagogical introductions, from Trot standpoint, which is a derivation of Marxist-Leninism, but I don't like their approach. Various people from various tendencies have been thinking recently of how to popularize their ideas, for example, on the web. So a common problem is being recognized. More later ..... At 09:03 AM 3/20/2010, [email protected] wrote: >I have not looked at Bottomore's dictionary >since giving it away in 2004. I will run to the >bookstore and locate a copy and look at it. >Anyone that publishes a Marxist glossary enters >into extreme controversy with every >single segment of the Marxist current. The most >difficult aspect of the project is staying on >focus. The focus is a real audience and creating >an organizing tool that is educational. There >are comrades better equipped for many reasons to >take the lead on this project and all have >refused. The reason is a desire to produce a >glossary that sounds like how the American >proletariat think things out in real time. For >instance the American proletariat does not react >to the word âmediateâ or >âinterpenetration.â Trade Unions mediate >relations between their members and their >employers. Trade Unions were initially organized >to protect the wages and conditions of labor >from pressure of their members employers for >profits. Because of the lost ground of union >over the past 30 years âmediateâ becomes a >concept meaning union enhance wages and >this experience has not been true for almost >twenty years. The need for the glossary arose >in the course of holding classes >- educationals, with first a group of young >people and recruiting a few older - retired >workers, pushed into action over health care. >Let me give a real time example of the >conceptual problem of the American mind. Here is >the agreed upon basic description of >dialectical materialism: Dialectal materialism: >Dialectal materialism is an approach and method >to the study of a real world in constant >change. A materialist approach begin with the >real material world. The world is knowable and >our knowledge of its laws develops - >evolves, from a lower to a higher level. >Society contains laws of development >moving society from a lower to a higher level. >Change in society is based on development of >the productive forces and social relations of >production. The constant changes and interaction >between productive forces and social >relations prevents us from knowing everything >at any particular moment. But that is no excuse >for not accepting and learning about what is >real. On the contrary, it inspires a serious >Marxist to constantly study. The materialist >approach is combined with the dialectical >method, treating all phenomena in nature >and society as dialectical. The basic laws of >materialist dialectics are: This had to be >rewritten The reaction to the term dialectical >materialism was fascinating and mind boggling. >Everyone would demand to know its meaning >and treated the term with hostility. We >reversed the words and all the >hostile reactions disappeared. The second line >was changed and the terms âreal >material worldâ was reduced to âmaterial >world.â The reason is that people reacted >to real material world with the ideology >âwhat is real to you might not be real >to me,â meaning experience. Ralph, I was >fucked up because â real worldâ was >meant to deliver a concept of a world existing >outside the individual human body, mind and >sense perception. People already understand the >world is real, but experienced individually. >Soon as the formulation was changed a different >the concept of dialectical materialism was >better understood. Here is the rewrite: >Dialectal materialism: (materialist dialectics) >Materialist dialectics is an approach and method >to the study of a real world in constant >change. A materialist approach begin with the >material world. The world is knowable and our >knowledge of its laws grows from a lower to >a higher level. Society is knowable, containing >economic laws moving society from a lower to a >higher level. Change in society is based on >development of the productive forces. Its >constant change prevents us from knowing >everything at any particular moment. But that >is no excuse for not accepting and >learning about what is real. On the contrary, >it inspires a serious Marxist to >constantly study. The materialist approach is >combined with the dialectical method, treating >all things in nature and society as dialectical. >The basic laws of materialist dialectics are: >OK Every understood materialist dialectics in a >common way. No one understood what it meant but >there was a common reaction seeking >clarification. Then we had to create a clear >picture of the difference between democracy and >political liberty. You say âpolitical >libertyâ and the white proletarians react >positively but not the blacks and browns. >Blacks and browns react to the word >democracy with the identical emotional >intensity as the white proletarians. It was like >shit. A Marxist glossary cannot be a small >Marxist dictionary of terms but must be a >historical narrative of the American ideology >and experience viewed through a Marxist lens. >âMarxist lensâ produced a different reaction >from âMarxist standpointâ of âMarxist >point of view.â Dig how equality was >articulated: Equality: Under conditions of >feudal society, the demand for equality and to >become a citizen, a town person with inalienable >rights, rather than a serf attached to a master >was very revolutionary. Under conditions of >capitalist society the demand for equality is a >demand for justice; to reform the system in >favor of the individual or oppressed peoples >and different segments of the >population. Equality is a demand for political >liberty and to be treated the same as >ones economic and social peers and before the >law. The demand for equality is limited to the >norms of political liberty at a given moment. >Thus, Gays seeks to be treated no different >from âstraightsâ - heterosexual, >proletarians even if these proletarians live in >poverty and destitution. Blacks rightfully >fought against legal, illegal segregation, the >lynch rope and to share in the political >liberty of the larger Anglo population, even if >most of this population was on the edge of >poverty. Equality in our history contains within >it an expression of the demand of all >commodities to be treated the same in the market >place. One commodity is no different than the >other as values or the product of >labor. Communism goes further than demanding >equality and demands emancipation >from commodity production. (see commodity >production). Then a quote from Engels is >presented with a link to his writing. No way on >earth the above definition of equality could >grip the masses 30, 20 or even ten years ago. >The further we advance into a desegregated >society, and of course the election of Obama, >the more the American mind opens and accepts >new ideas. Communism and Marxism are new ideas >to the American mind. Racism is tackled head on >in a new way. Under the index racism is >(see color factor) . Color factors ends with >(see white supremacy and white chauvinism) >Color factor: The color factor was presented as >a question of race and race was defined as >groups within humanity living and existing at >different evolutionary stages of human >development. There are no biological races >amongst humanity. The is only the human race as >a species. There are no evolutionary different >in humanity only differences in development of >the productive forces and the >social organization of labor that flows from >lower and higher degrees of development >of means of production. Thus, racism is mental >justification for the super exploitation of a >population group. At different points in >American history racism was directed against >the Irish, Italian and Slavic workers. This kind >of racism did not present itself as the color >factor. The color factor becomes an index for a >form of racism that is actually white supremacy >and white chauvinism. The color factor is just >that, a factor or shades of difference amongst >humanity. (see white chauvinism and white >supremacy) Within question this glossary is >partisan and a non-Marxist-Leninist document. A >decision will be made whether to include an >index called â Marxism-Leninism.â At this >point I have voted against it, but the majority >will is going to decide such an issue. Also >Stalinism or Stalinists are not indexes, with >most comrades agreeing not to include these >terms. There was an opinion to include >something called the Stalin period, which I >voted against. Most comrades wanted an index >for Trotskyism, which I voted against. On >another list there was extreme reaction against >the Leninism index. The so-called >Marxist-Leninist all but called for my beheading >and claimed Lenin further developed materialist >dialectics. I was basically called a revisionist >rat for speaking of the October Revolution as a >successful insurrection of a class. I was told >October was not an insurrection but a >revolution. Thus, there is an index for >insurrection and revolution and then social >revolution. Obviously, those content with >Stalinâs definitions of Leninism, which I do >not reject or object to as a historical >definition appropriate at the time it was >written, will find the definition below >anti-Marxism-Leninism. . Check out the Leninism >index. Leninism: named after the leader of the >Soviet Communists Bolsheviks, Vladimir Ilyich >Lenin. Lenin was the singular central leader of >Russian revolutionaries who led the October >Revolution - insurrection, of 1917. As leader >of the Bolshevik Party, he was premier of the >USSR during its initial years (191724), during >which the Bolsheviks fought the Russiaan Civil >War (1917 24) while working to establish thee >foundation of a socialist economic system in a >semifeudal country. As a politician, Vladimir >Lenin was a prolific writer, and >persuasive orator. As a political scientist he >worked out the principles to establish a "party >of a new type" capable of leading the >proletariat in the contest for political power. >As a Marxist, Leninâs doctrine of "the party >of a new type" and proposed resolution of >colonial policy is at the heart of the doctrine >baring his name. Leninism was a doctrine of >combat within Marxism in the era of the rise of >finance capital, the first world imperialist >war, transformation of the national question >into the national-colonial revolution and >proletarian revolution as a path to complete >the transition from feudalism to >industrial society. Lenin defined the economic >task of the Soviet government as building the >foundation for an socialist society in a country >of peasants. OK, this is why I called out for >you Ralph, in particular. Your >bullshit detector is finely tuned. I am not in >the mood for a bunch of crap about the role of >Leninâs Materialism and Empiro Criticism in >the evolution of articulating materialist >dialectics. I have had enough of the >Marxist-Leninists dogma and protecting of >Leninism as if Lenin was ones prom date or >midnight date. I am 100% shut off from >political Trotskyism and their >insufferable eloquence in defense of petty >bourgeois nonsensical concepts of the >proletariat and proletarian revolution. >Basically, this crew is ideological >syndicalists (council communists or anarcho - >syndicalists), but they do not know this. I >do plan to float a draft over to the local >folks of Workers World. Their >action orientation is refreshing and gives them >a narrative not hostile to the American mind. >Plus, I do not hate on much of the writing of >Sam Macry. Not many older Marxists are going to >like this glossary including some of the >contributors. What is liked is the real effort >behind creating the first popular Marxist >glossary to appear in America in 60 years. It is >also worth noting that 90% of those involved in >the actual process are black Marxists that >happen to be 100% industrial workers and 100% >retired workers with between 30 and 40 years at >either Chrysler, Ford General Motors or the old >tank plant - General Dynamics. A group of >industrial workers, Marxists to boot, could >not carry out such a task before no matter of >what gender, color or ethnic heritage. The last >great surge of Marxism in America was carried >out by basically European immigrants in the >1910 - 1920 period. These guys, many >undocumented workers and intellectuals carried >the ball and scored. Today a >hereditary proletariat and deeply native crew >of Marxists, born of the last period >fighting to define the moment are seeking to >carry the ball we inherited. In is on >the Marxist backs of these European immigrants >we stand. The ball was passed to us by none >other than late Dave Moore. >_http://www.politicalaffairs.net/index.php/article/articleview/4956/_ >(http://www.politicalaffairs.net/index.php/article/articleview/4956/) >We will never repudiate our history, we will >never surrender. Our caskets are already paid >for and as Obama puts matters, at this defining >moment we are going to blaze a new path. WL. >_______________________________________________ >Marxism-Thaxis mailing list >[email protected] To change >your options or unsubscribe go to: >http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list [email protected] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
