[A-List] Misapplied Idealism

[Jurriaan Bendien]

In defense of Henry Liu, I can find a Marx-quote, which I have cited in a 
wkipedia article on the "productive forces" 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Productive_forces):

"...it is only possible to achieve real liberation in the real world... by 
employing real means... slavery cannot be abolished without the steam-engine 
and the mule and spinning-jenny, serfdom cannot be abolished without 
improved agriculture, and... in general, people cannot be liberated as long 
as they are unable to obtain food and drink, housing and clothing in 
adequate quality and quantity. "Liberation" is an historical and not a 
mental act, and it is brought about by historical conditions, the 
development of industry, commerce, agriculture, the conditions of 
intercourse [Verkehr]... 
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/ch01b.htm#b1

But in defense of Patrick Bond, providing barbaric regimes with factories, 
schools, hospitals, tractors, cars, drilling wells, roads, etc. may not make 
those regimes any less barbaric. To think so, would be a case of economism, 
of economic determinism, implying that a better morality will somehow usher 
forth, simply from the fact that people have more money to spend, perform 
industrial labour, or own more assets. Indeed, this is the whole nature of 
the "development problematic" these days - it's not just that more markets 
do not automatically mean a better morality, but also that the moral fabric 
must be changed, so that markets can exist at all. Hence the come-uppance of 
whole new "brigades of moralists" justifying investment here or 
disinvestment there. But at the root of the "moral" debate is, of course, 
always the question of property rights, of the just entitlement to wealth.

As I've noted at times, markets or commerce provide no specific morality of 
their own beyond the requirement to pay your bills. Hence, when commercial 
forces begin to talk morality, they often quickly wind themselves in 
justificatory conundrums and hypocrisy.  America, the "greatest democracy on 
earth", appeals to the world to democratise itself, but cannot in truth even 
organise a fair and honest presidential election at home, free of fraud and 
nepotism. It preaches "freedom" and operates the largest prison industry in 
the world. It preaches "equal opportunity" while denying to millions at 
home. And so on.

But how do things stand with Marxism? Marxism also lacks a specific 
morality, beyond the Kantian imperative to revolt against all those 
conditions which make people less than they could be. Well, even a liberal 
businessman like Bill Gates could agree with that. What in fact happens is, 
that the Marxists graft their own moralities onto the doctrine, which may be 
drawn from a variety of sources; religion; political policy; material 
interests; cultural conventions, etc. Anyway, "in the name of the working 
class", all kinds of moral contraband is smuggled into the doctrine, which 
mutates as a result, sometimes changing beyond recognition, and justifying 
mass slaughter... until, perhaps, the "m" drops out of "moral". Which really 
raises the question, under what conditions could a better morality emerge?

Jurriaan

I go down to speaker's corner I'm thunderstruck
They got free speech, tourists, police in trucks
Two men say they're jesus one of them must be wrong
There's a protest singer singing a protest song - he says
'they wanna have a war to keep us on our knees
They wanna have a war to keep their factories
They wanna have a war to stop us buying japanese
They wanna have a war to stop industrial disease
They're pointing out the enemy to keep you deaf and blind
They wanna sap your energy incarcerate your mind
They give you rule brittania, gassy beer, page three
Two weeks in espana and sunday striptease'
Meanwhile the first jesus says 'I'd cure it soon;
Abolish monday mornings and friday afternoons'
The other one's on a hunger strike he's dying by degrees
How come jesus gets industrial disease?