Two hours after reading Adorno: “We’ll I’m on page 3, and I think I’m following along, but I could just as well have no idea. Is there something easier to read then the “Aesthetic Theory”?”
Not trolling, genius curious. I’m independent- lean right fiscally. Where has Marxism worked? I feel like it can only be successful if all individuals share the same skills, abilities, efforts, goals and motivations. But humans are imperfect. That is why I scratch my head.
ok let's see if i can do this. the relationship of marxism to the Communist dictatorships (which I am assuming you are referring to) is like the relationship of Christianity to Christian theocratic governments. Is the second based on the first? Yes. Is a theocracy the only
expression that Christianity can take, in terms of politics or otherwise? Obviously not.
Similarly, marxism is a philosophy & critique, while the Stalinist states are only one political form that is based on marxism. (somewhat aside, and i am loathe to say this because i oppose Stalinism, but
considering that the Soviet Union was the 2nd most powerful country for decades & 1/3 of world was Communist at one point, you might want to think about what "works" means. A centralized economy can certainly work, it just does so differently than capitalism. I mean, does a capitalist junta
I think half the people who like this post think I’m kidding - I’m not! I studied at the CUNY Graduate Center in NYC with Stanley Aronowitz, one of these Hegelianized-Marxist theoreticians who wrote like 25 books. That whole generation is mostly gone now though…
Super smart guy, but we had one of these frenemy things going on. I got a much more hardcore classical European education than these nitwits on the right. Marxism— even the fluid heterodox form he followed—was a religion to him, and I never accepted that. Love me some Lefebvre & Adorno, tho.
Also read all of Capital (vol 1) in David Harvey’s seminar. Nice guy, but even more orthodox in those matters. But I did tell him to that I didn’t believe in the labor theory of value!!
I had a trad Marxist professor at the University of Rochester (Jules Benjamin). He said I wrote too well to be majoring in computer science.😆 He wasn't fond of anarchists.
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Almost as if Capitalists fear knowledge of Marxism.
People after two hours of learning about Marxism:
No need to be an overachiever.
I learned so much from that, it was like a Rosetta Stone for me. But also one of the things I learned is that I never want to read Hegel again.
Similarly, marxism is a philosophy & critique, while the Stalinist states are only one political form that is based on marxism. (somewhat aside, and i am loathe to say this because i oppose Stalinism, but