"I put the word "natural" in quotes deliberately. I don't think that one-on-one exchanges and markets arise full-grown from the head of Nature but are instead created by people."
This "nature/non-nature" idea pops up repeatedly on this list (and a lot of other places as well). The distinction is obviously important to how Leftists think. So, please tell me, when it comes to the behavior and conduct of human beings, how do you distinguish nature from non-nature? David Shemano ^^^^^ CB: Humans are a natural life form or species. We originated in the Darwinian sense about 200,000 years ago, with intermediate species of the same genus ,homo, going back before that ( intermediate between us and some and an ancestor species we have in common with apes). Our unique and special species characteristic which distinguishes us from other species is that we have tradition, custom, language, history , culture, such that we have many communications from dead generations of our species. This gives rise to "non-natural" or cultural institutions that don't derive from our genes , as does most behavior of non-human species. So, "natural" can be traced back to genes ;and "non-natural" ,"artificial", or cultural/traditional/historical must be taught or nurtured into humans for them to practice it. They don't come by it naturally, but nurturedly. The capitalist system or mode of production, is a historically, not naturally, derived ( circa 500 years ago) system of organizing our relationship to the material world, including but not limited to the material necessities for our survival individually and therefore as a species. It is not human nature to organize as capitalism (it's not against human nature., either, though nuclear weapons approach that) The proof capitalism is not identical with human natural organization is that there have been a number of other modes of production and exchange in human history. Nor will capitalism last forever. Things change based on contradictions in the relations of production. The economic mode can change because it is not in our genes, not natural. It is not exactly anti-natural, but it is not the only way humans can organize production and exchange. There is a better way which is also compatible with our human natures. It is a tradition that derives dialectically from the contradictions within the capitalist historical mode. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
