- Capitalism and Alternatives -

A Brief Reply

Posted by: Barry Stoller ( Utopia 2000 ) on September 20, 1999 at 03:00:28:

In Reply to: Human Nature posted by Barry Stoller on September 15, 1999 at 23:52:33:

Thanks for your comments, all of you who responded. It's certainly nice to be remembered. Although I doubt that I can spare the time to visit regularly, I will attempt to check in once in a while. My main apprehension about participating here is the tendency for new, immature voices to absorb so much of the dialog on the usual recurring themes---such as 'socialism is antithetical to human nature'---which get rebutted again and again but only to a rather shallow degree each time before a new version of the same line pops up again.

Regarding Gee:

I have had many words with Red Deathy in the past. I am probably now closer to his Marxist position than before. I still think concurrent world revolution is a bit of a 'millennial' concept however...

:: Now if you're working a shit job
:: although you have two Ph.D's

: Depends what the Ph.D is in, what use is "the pre-renaissance art of Bulgarian gypsy
folk" to a heavy engineering organization, or anyone in silicon valley, or a farmer.

Not the point. Besides, there are two Ph.D's.

:: Blame it on human nature
:: That arbiter of behavior;

: The whole idea that people can live in socialism is utterly dependent upon those people deciding to do it, absolutely believing in it, absolutely following the 'rules' (no hoarding, no power, no discriminatory choice in disposal of ability/productivity) and doing so every day from then on. As soon as a significant number of people break with it, the system collapses. All 'systems' require the sanction of an overwhelming majority. Now ask again in this light.

Not sure I understand what you were getting at.

Regarding bill:

Sung to the tune of... Well, 'Human Nature' has my own melody. I have had a long 'career' as an underground musician (under another name).

Regarding Chuck:

:: "Utopia 2000 repudiates the Marxist notions of violent revolution and hierarchical
authority"

: Do you think it's fair (to Marx) to say these notions are Marxist?

Concerning violence: Recall Marx's criticism of the Paris Commune (in The Civil War in France) for not using enough force; concerning hierarchy, recall Engels' On Authority.

I would say that I have cooled quite a bit on Skinner since I last put together the Utopia 2000 site (and frequented this board), however.

Regarding Quincunx:

?


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