Yang mengagumkan adalah bahwa di Rusia ketika itu sudah begitu banyak pemikir yang berdebat dan mempertukarkan buah fikirannnya..
Di Indonesia abad ke XXI ini yang banyak itu ya otak anjing tipe Tawang, Dipo, rezamautia atau Roman Proteus atau ndeboost ... --- In [email protected], "wawan" <selarasmi...@...> wrote: > > V. I. Lenin > On the Significance of Militant Materialism > > Comrade Trotsky has already said everything necessary, and said it very well, > about the general purposes of Pod Znamenem Marksizma in issue No. 1-2 of that > journal. I should like to deal with certain questions that more closely define > the content and programme of the work which its editors have set forth in the > introductory statement in this issue. > > This statement says that not all those gathered round the journal Pod Znamenem > Marksizma are Communists but that they are all consistent materialists. I > think > that this alliance of Communists and non-Communists is absolutely essential > and > correctly defines the purposes of the journal. One of the biggest and most > dangerous mistakes made by Communists (as generally by revolutionaries who > have > successfully accomplished the beginning of a great revolution) is the idea > that > a revolution can be made by revolutionaries alone. On the contrary, to be > successful, all serious revolutionary work requires that the idea that > revolutionaries are capable of playing the part only of the vanguard of the > truly virile and advanced class must be understood and translated into > action. A > vanguard performs its task as vanguard only when it is able to avoid being > isolated from the mass of the people it leads and is able really to lead the > whole mass forward. Without an alliance with non-Communists in the most > diverse > spheres of activity there can be no question of any successful communist > construction. > > This also applies to the defence of materialism and Marxism, which has been > undertaken Pod Znamenem Marksizma. Fortunately, the main trends of advanced > social thinking in Russia have a solid materialist tradition. Apart from G. V. > Plekhanov, it will be enough to mention Chernyshevsky, from whom the modern > Narodniks (the Popular Socialists, Socialist-Revolutionaries, etc.) have > frequently retreated in quest of fashionable reactionary philosophical > doctrines, captivated by the tinsel of the so-called last word in European > science, and unable to discern beneath this tinsel some variety of servility > to > the bourgeoisie, to bourgeois prejudice and bourgeois reaction. > > At any rate, in Russia we still have and shall undoubtedly have for a fairly > long time to come materialists from the non-communist camp, and it is our > absolute duty to enlist all adherents of consistent and militant materialism > in > the joint work of combating philosophical reaction and the philosophical > prejudices of so-called educated society. Dietzgen senior not to be confused > with his writer son, who was as pretentious as he was unsuccessful > correctly, > aptly and clearly expressed the fundamental Marxist view of the philosophical > trends which prevail in bourgeois countries and enjoy the regard of their > scientists and publicists, when he said that in effect the professors of > philosophy in modern society are in the majority of cases nothing but > "graduated > flunkeys of clericalism ". > > Our Russian intellectuals, who, like their brethren in all other countries, > are > fond of thinking themselves advanced, are very much averse to shifting the > question to the level of the opinion expressed in Dietzgen's words. But they > are > averse to it because they cannot look the truth in the face. One has only to > give a little thought to the governmental and also the general economic, > social > and every other kind of dependence of modern educated people on the ruling > bourgeoisie to realise that Dietzgen's scathing description was absolutely > true. > One has only to recall the vast majority of the fashionable philosophical > trends > that arise so frequently in European countries, beginning for example with > those > connected with the discovery of radium and ending with those which are now > seeking to clutch at the skirts of Einstein , to gain an idea of the > connection > between the class interests and the class position of the bourgeoisie and its > support of all forms of religion on the one hand, and the ideological content > of > the fashionable philosophical trends on the other. > > It will be seen from the above that a journal that sets out to be a militant > materialist organ must be primarily a militant organ, in the sense of > unflinchingly exposing and indicting all modern "graduated flunkeys of > clericalism", irrespective of whether they act as representatives of official > science or as free lances calling themselves "democratic Left or ideologically > socialist" publicists. > > In the second place, such a journal must be a militant atheist organ. We have > departments, or at least state institutions, which are in charge of this work. > But the work is being carried on with extreme apathy and very > unsatisfactorily, > and is apparently suffering from the general conditions of our truly Russian > (even though Soviet) bureaucratic ways. It is therefore highly essential that > in > addition to the work of these state institutions, and in order to improve and > infuse life into that work, a journal which sets out to propagandise militant > materialism must carry on untiring atheist propaganda and an untiring atheist > fight. The literature on the subject in all languages should be carefully > followed and everything at all valuable in this sphere should be translated, > or > at least reviewed. > > Engels long ago advised the contemporary leaders of the proletariat to > translate > the militant atheist literature of the late eighteenth century for mass > distribution among the people. We have not done this up to the present, to our > shame be it said (this is one of the numerous proofs that it is much easier to > seize power in a revolutionary epoch than to know how to use this power > properly). Our apathy, inactivity and incompetence are sometimes excused on > all > sorts of "lofty" grounds, as, for example, that the old atheist literature of > the eighteenth century is antiquated, unscientific, naive, etc. There is > nothing > worse than such pseudo-scientific sophistry, which serves as a screen either > for > pedantry or for a complete misunderstanding of Marxism. There is, of course, > much that is unscientific and naive in the atheist writings of the > eighteenth-century revolutionaries. But nobody prevents the publishers of > these > writings from abridging them and providing them with brief postscripts > pointing > out the progress made by mankind in the scientific criticism of religions > since > the end of the eighteenth century, mentioning the latest writings on the > subject, and so forth. It would be the biggest and most grievous mistake a > Marxist could make to think that the millions of the people (especially the > peasants and artisans), who have been condemned by all modern society to > darkness, ignorance and superstitions can extricate themselves from this > darkness only along the straight line of a purely Marxist education. These > masses should be supplied with the most varied atheist propaganda material, > they > should be made familiar with facts from the most diverse spheres of life, they > should be approached in every possible way, so as to interest them, rouse them > from their religious torpor, stir them front the most varied angles and by the > most varied methods, and so forth. > > The keen, vivacious and talented writings of the old eighteenth-century > atheists > wittily and openly attacked the prevailing clericalism and will very often > prove > a thousand times more suitable for arousing people from their religious torpor > than the dull and dry paraphrases of Marxism, almost completely unillustrated > by > skillfully selected facts, which predominate in our literature and which (it > is > no use hiding the fact) frequently distort Marxism. We have translations of > all > the major works of Marx and Engels. There are absolutely no grounds for > fearing > that the old atheism and old materialism will remain un-supplemented by the > corrections introduced by Marx and Engels. The most important thing and it > is > this that is most frequently overlooked by those of our Communists who are > supposedly Marxists, but who in fact mutilate Marxism is to know how to > awaken > in the still undeveloped masses an intelligent attitude towards religious > questions and an intelligent criticism of religions. > > On the other hand, take a glance at modern scientific critics of religion. > These > educated bourgeois writers almost invariably "supplement" their own > refutations > of religious superstitions with arguments which immediately expose them as > ideological slaves of the bourgeoisie, as "graduated flunkeys of clericalism". > > Two examples. Professor R. Y. Wipper published in 1918 a little book entitled > Vozniknovenie Khristianstva (The Origin of Christianity Pharos Publishing > House, Moscow). In his account of the principal results of modern science, the > author not only refrains from combating the superstitions and deception which > are the weapons of the church as a political organisation, not only evades > these > questions, but makes the simply ridiculous and most reactionary claim that he > is > above both "extremes " the idealist and the materialist. This is toadying to > the ruling bourgeoisie, which all over the world devotes to the support of > religion hundreds of millions of rubles from. the profits squeezed out of the > working people. > > The well-known German scientist, Arthur Drews, while refuting religious > superstitions and fables in his book, Die Christusmythe (The Christ Myth), and > while showing that Christ never existed, at the end of the book declares in > favour of religion, albeit a renovated, purified and more subtle religion, one > that would be capable of withstanding "the daily growing naturalist torrent" > (fourth German edition, 1910, p. 238). Here we have an out-spoken and > deliberate > reactionary, who is openly helping the exploiters to replace the old, decayed > religious superstitions by new, more odious and vile superstitions. > > This does not mean that Drews should not be translated. It means that while > in a > certain measure effecting an alliance with the progressive section of the > bourgeoisie, Communists and all consistent materialists should unflinchingly > expose that section when it is guilty of reaction. It means that to shun an > alliance with the representatives of the bourgeoisie of the eighteenth > century, > i.e., the period when it was revolutionary, would be to betray Marxism and > materialism; for an "alliance" with the Drewses, in one form or another and in > one degree or another., is essential for our struggle against the > predominating > religious obscurantists. > > Pod Znamenem Marksizma, which sets out to be an organ of militant materialism, > should devote much of its space to atheist propaganda, to reviews of the > literature on the subject and to correcting the immense shortcomings of our > governmental work in this field. It is particularly important to utilise books > and pamphlets which contain many concrete facts and comparisons showing how > the > class interests and class organisations of the modern bourgeoisie are > connected > with the organisations of religious institutions and religious propaganda. > > All material relating to the United States of America, where the official. > state > connection between religion and capital is less manifest, is extremely > important. But, on the other hand, it becomes all the clearer to us that > so-called modern democracy (which the Mensheviks, the > Socialist-Revolutionaries, > partly also the anarchists, etc., so unreasonably worship) is nothing but the > freedom to preach whatever is to the advantage of the bourgeoisie, to preach, > namely, the most reactionary ideas, religion, obscurantism, defence of the > exploiters, etc. > > One would like to hope that a journal which sets out to be a militant > materialist organ will provide our reading public with reviews of atheist > literature, showing for which circle of readers any particular writing might > be > suitable and in what respect, and mentioning what literature has been > published > in our country (only decent translations should be given notice, and they are > not so many), and what is still to be published. > > > In addition to the alliance with consistent materialists who do not belong to > the Communist Party, of no less and perhaps oven of more importance for the > work > which militant materialism should perform is an alliance with those modern > natural scientists who incline towards materialism and are not afraid to > defend > and preach it as against the modish philosophical wanderings into idealism and > scepticism which are prevalent in so-called educated society. > > The article by A. Timiryazev on Einstein's theory of relativity published in > Pod > Znamenem Marksizma No. 1-2 permits us to hope that the journal will succeed in > effecting this second alliance too. Greater attention should be paid to it. It > should be remembered that the sharp upheaval which modern natural science is > undergoing very often gives rise to reactionary philosophical schools and > minor > schools. trends and minor trends. Unless, therefore, the problems raised by > the > recent revolution in natural science are followed, and unless natural > scientists > are enlisted in the work of a philosophical journal, militant materialism can > be > neither militant nor materialism. Timiryazev was obliged to observe in the > first > issue of the journal that the theory of Einstein, who, according to > Timiryazev, > is himself not making any active attack on the foundations of materialism, has > already been seized upon by a vast number of bourgeois intellectuals of all > countries; it should be noted that this applies not only to Einstein, but to a > number, if not to the majority, of the great reformers of natural science > since > the end of the nineteenth century. > > For our attitude towards this phenomenon to be a politically conscious one, it > must be realised that no natural science and no materialism can hold its own > in > the struggle against the onslaught of bourgeois ideas and the restoration of > the > bourgeois world outlook unless it stands on solid philosophical ground. In > order > to hold his own in this struggle and carry it to a victorious finish, the > natural scientist must be a modern materialist, a conscious adherent of the > materialism represented by Marx, i.e., he must be a dialectical materialist. > In > order to attain this aim, the contributors to Pod Znamenem Marksizma must > arrange for the systematic study of Hegelian dialectics from a materialist > standpoint, i.e., the dialectics which Marx applied practically in his Capital > and in his historical and political works, and applied so successfully that > now > every day of the awakening to life and struggle of new classes in the East > (Japan, India, and China) i.e., the hundreds of millions of human beings who > form the greater part of the world population and whose historical passivity > and > historical torpor have hitherto conditioned the stagnation and decay of many > advanced European countries every day of the awakening to life of new > peoples > and new classes serves as a fresh confirmation of Marxism. > > Of course, this study, this interpretation, this propaganda of Hegelian > dialectics is extremely difficult, and the first experiments in this direction > will undoubtedly be accompanied by errors. But only he who never does anything > never makes mistakes. Taking as our basis Marx's method of applying > materialistically conceived Hegelian dialectics, we can and should elaborate > this dialectics from all aspects, print in the journal excerpts from Hegel's > principal works, interpret them materialistically and comment on them with the > help of examples of the way Marx applied dialectics, as well as of examples of > dialectics in the sphere of economic and political relations, which recent > history, especially modern imperialist war and revolution, provides in unusual > abundance. In my opinion, the editors and contributors of Pod Znamenem > Marksizma > should be a kind of "Society of Materialist Friends of Hegelian Dialectics". > Modern natural scientists (if they know how to seek, and if we learn to help > them) will find in the Hegelian dialectics, materialistically interpreted, a > series of answers to the philosophical problems which are being raised by the > revolution in natural science and which make the intellectual admirers of > bourgeois fashion "stumble" into reaction. > > Unless it sets itself such a task and systematically fulfills it, materialism > cannot be militant materialism. It will be not so much the fighter as the > fought, to use an expression of Shchedrin's. Without this, eminent natural > scientists will as often as hitherto he helpless in making their philosophical > deductions and generalisations. For natural science is progressing so fast and > is undergoing such a profound revolutionary upheaval in all spheres that it > cannot possibly dispense with philosophical deductions. > > In conclusion, I will cite an example which has nothing to do with philosophy, > but does at any rate concern social questions, to which Pod Znamenem Marksizma > also desires ,to devote attention. > > It is an example of the way in which modern pseudo-science actually serves as > a > vehicle for the grossest and most infamous reactionary views. > > I was recently sent a copy of Ekonomist No. 1 (1922), published by the > Eleventh > Department of the Russian Technical `Society. The young Communist who sent me > this journal (he probably had no time to read it) rashly expressed > considerable > agreement with it. In reality the journal is I do not know to what extent > deliberately an organ of the modern feudalists, disguised of course under a > cloak of science, democracy and so forth. > > A certain Mr. P. A. Sorokin publishes in this journal an extensive, so-called > "sociological", inquiry on "The Influence of the War". This learned article > abounds in learned references to the "sociological" works of the author and > his > numerous teachers and colleagues abroad. Here is an example of his learning. > > On page 83, I read: > > "For every 10,000 marriages in Petrograd there are now 92.2 divorces a > fantastic figure. Of every 100 annulled marriages, 51.1 had lasted less than > one > year, 11 per cent less than one month, 22 per cent less than two months, 41 > per > cent less than three to six months and only 26 per cent over six months. These > figures show that modern legal marriage is a form which conceals what is in > effect extra-marital sexual intercourse, enabling lovers of `strawberries' to > satisfy their appetites in a `legal' way" (Ekonomist No. 1, p. 83) > > Both this gentleman and the Russian Technical Society, which publishes this > journal and gives space to this kind of talk, no doubt regard themselves as > adherents of democracy and would consider it a great insult to be called what > they are in fact, namely, feudalists, reactionaries, "graduated. flunkeys of > clericalism". > > Even the slightest acquaintance with the legislation of bourgeois countries on > marriage, divorce and illegitimate children, and with the actual state of > affairs in this field, is enough to show anyone interested in the subject that > modern bourgeois democracy, even in all the most democratic bourgeois > republics, > exhibits a truly feudal attitude in this respect towards women and towards > children born out of wedlock. > > This, of course, does not prevent the Mensheviks, the > Socialist-Revolutionaries, > a part of the anarchists and all the corresponding parties in the West from > shouting about democracy and how it is being violated by the Bolsheviks. But > as > a matter of fact the Bolshevik revolution is the only consistently democratic > revolution in respect to such questions as marriage, divorce and the position > of > children born out of wedlock. And this is a question which most directly > affects > the interests of more than half the population of any country. Although a > large > number of bourgeois revolutions preceded it and called themselves democratic, > the Bolshevik revolution was the first and only revolution to wage a resolute > struggle in this respect both against reaction and feudalism and against the > usual hypocrisy of the ruling and propertied classes. > > If 92 divorces for every 10,000 marriages seem to Mr. Sorekin a fantastic > figure, one can only suppose that either the author lived and was brought up > in > a monastery so entirely walled off from life that hardly anyone will believe > such a monastery ever existed, or that he is distorting the truth in the > interest of reaction and the bourgeoisie. Anybody in the least acquainted with > social conditions in bourgeois countries knows that the real number of actual > divorces (of course, not sanctioned by church and law) is everywhere > immeasurably greater. The only difference between Russia and other countries > in > this respect is that our laws do not sanctify hypocrisy and the debasement of > the woman and her child, but openly and in the name of the government declare > systematic war on all hypocrisy and all debasement. > > The Marxist journal will have to wage war also on these modern "educated" > feudalists. Not a few of them, very likely, are in receipt of government money > and are employed by our government to educate our youth, although they are no > more fitted for this than notorious perverts are fitted for the post of > superintendents of educational establishments for the young. > > The working class of Russia proved able to win power; but it has not yet > learned > to utilise it, for otherwise it would have long ago very politely dispatched > such teachers and members of learned societies to countries with a bourgeois > "democracy" That is the proper place for such feudalists. > > But it will learn, given the will to learn. > > March 12, 1922 > ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
