Not Really RE: I-P: Capitalism vrs. commies

[John Hall]

Well, Sowell wrote a penetrating and insightful book about Marxism.
Importantly, it was about the Marxism of Marx and Engles, and not what the
latter day Marxists and critics claimed Marx had to say.
One of the problems, apparently, is that Marx's language is obtuse.  You can
write a coherent analysis of Marx using the everyday definitions of
'alienation' and 'wages' - but it wouldn't be what Marx meant.  He used
'alienation' the way Hegel used it (the difference eludes me).  He used
'wages' the way Ricardo used it (not the money you put in your pocket as a
worker, but the ratio of what you put in your pocket to the value of your
production).
Or take the word 'contradictions'.  The 'contradictions of capitalism' did
not mean that capitalism was inconsistent.  He wasn't talking about
philosophical coherence, but about evolution.  To Marx it was the 'internal
contradictions' in a tadpole that forced it to turn into a frog.
Almost all critical observations were reserved for the latter chapter, and
even then he didn't hit hard.  Typical of the points made within the
'interpretation' section is this (paraphrased):
"Marx talked as if the workers were motivated by the hidden ratio of
expropriation rather than the physical reality of their wage rate.  This is
important, for if workers are in fact motivated mostly by their actual wages
then much of the argument for a proletarian revolution disappears."
Most Marx haters jump on statements about 'historical inevitability'.
Marx's opinion on that was a bit different, and I've seen Marxist critics
trapped when someone who knows their Marx points it out - with references.

From: fork-admin@xent.com [mailto:fork-admin@xent.com]On Behalf Of S. Morgan
Friedman
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2002 6:48 PM

         LOL -- good analogy! however, i would say that it
         isn't quite true: an ex-smoker who is both smart
         and honest can write a penetrating and insightful
         book about smoking. in fact, this has already
         happened: richard klein's *cigarettes are sublime*.