We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, November 4, 2010

What Marx Got Right

by Alex Knight from The End of Capitalism. 

The author takes a critical look at Marx's contribution to the understanding of history and the development of capitalism, points out the errors, and preserves the gems.

For example, his concept of "superstructure" or the ideological component of class rule is a gem:
Hegemony is a highly relevant idea to our situation today, especially in the United States where the population is thoroughly indoctrinated with the mythology [superstructure] of capitalism – seeing the system as positive and liberating, rather than violent and destructive as it actually is. However, if the base of the American economy continues to deteriorate as it has, Marx would suggest the superstructure is sure to follow, and a revolutionary change is perhaps not far around the corner.
 
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