[R-G] Michael Lebowitz: The spectre of socialism for the 21st century
Anthony Fenton
fentona at shaw.ca
Sat Jul 5 11:38:55 MDT 2008
Michael Lebowitz: The spectre of socialism for the 21st century
The following is the keynote address to the annual meeting of the
Society for Socialist Studies, Vancouver, June 5, 2008. It was
originally titled ``Building socialism for the 21st century''. To hear
an audio recording of the speech, click HERE.
By Michael A. Lebowitz
A spectre is haunting capitalism. It is the spectre of socialism for
the 21st century. Increasingly, the characteristics of this spectre
are becoming clear, and we are able to see enough to understand what
it is not. The only thing that is not clear at this point is whether
the spectre is real – i.e., whether it is actually an earthly presence.
Consider what this spectre is not. It is not the belief that by
struggling within capitalism for reforms that it is possible to change
the nature of capitalism -- i.e., that a better capitalism, a third
way, can suspend the logic of capital (except momentarily). Nor is it
a focus upon electing friendly governments to preside over
exploitation, oppression and exclusion -- i.e., to support barbarism
with a human face. Indeed, this spectre does not accept the premise
that you can challenge the logic of capital without understanding it.
Very simply, the spectre of socialism for the 21st century is not
yesterday’s liberal package -- social democracy. Further, this spectre
is not a focus upon the industrial working class as the revolutionary
subjects of socialism, a privileging whereby all other workers
(including those in the growing informal sector) are seen as lesser
workers, unproductive workers, indeed lumpenproletariat. Nor does it
suggest that those industrial workers by virtue of the difference
between their productivity with advanced means of production and their
incomes (i.e., the extent of their exploitation) have a greater
entitlement to the wealth of society than the poor and excluded.
In the conception of socialism for the 21st century, socialism is not
confused with the ownership of the means of production by the state
such that (a) it is thought that all that is necessary for socialism
is to nationalise and (b) that everything not nationalised is an
affront. Indeed, this spectre does not emphasise the development of
productive forces without regard for the nature of productive
relations (such that gulags, dictatorship and indeed capitalism can
all be justified because they develop the productive forces and
thereby move you closer to socialism and communism).
Nor, for that matter, does it think of two post-capitalist states,
socialism and communism, separated by a Chinese wall; in the concept
of socialism for the 21st century, there is no separate socialist
principle of ``to each according to his contribution’’ which must be
honoured. Rather, there is simply the recognition that the development
of the new society is a process and that this process necessarily
begins on a defective basis -- in other words, with defects such as
self orientation. Precisely for this reason, this recognition of
existing defects, the battle of ideas -- an ideological battle against
the old world -- is central to the concept of socialism for the 21st
century.
Finally, socialism for the 21st century is not based upon democracy in
the classic sense. By that, I mean that it is not based upon the
concept of representative democracy -- that institutional form in
which rule by the people is transformed into voting periodically for
those who will misrule them. All these fall into what I call
yesterday's socialist package.
[...]
http://links.org.au/node/503
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