This is something I feel needs to be shaken from your model; the assumption that collectivist principles
must be under an authoritarian hierarchy where those at the bottom have no say in what happens at the top. The Mondragon Corp. (democratically hierarchical economic collective) shows that need not be the case. Those start-ups in the silicon valley with their 6 (wo)man lattice frameworks also demonstrate how
collectivist principles can be applied
sans hierarchy.
Democracy in the Industrial Sphere...what does that mean to you? Pol Pot and Stalin?
those collectives are not "socialist" in nature, but rather Communal. (see Communism)
Communism (real type, used in many places through history, not Marx's version) is ALWAYS egalitarian, and based on considerable community input, if not direct democracy.
even today Communes, Co-Ops and other collective organizations operate throughout the world holding some (or even in some cases, ALL) goods and property in common.
Marx's theories are the default standard for leftist and collectivist thought these days, and thus receive the lion's share of attention, but Marx is not the owner of Collectivism, but he does have a Trademark on the words "Socialism" and "Communism".
if one has a differing view of these words and wishes to use baggage laden phrases, one must first define those terms for the purpose of the discussion at hand.
without a specific Ad Hoc re-definition for the purposes of the discussion, the defualt definitions must be used or no discussion can commence.
if you wish these terms to be used in Ye Olde Tyme meaning of the Pre-Marx era then you need to specify who's definition of "Socialism" and "Communism" you are using or the discussion can go nowhere.
Again, you have a peculiar bias that likes to associate socialism inclusively with authoritarian hierarchies. You completely ignore the 3rd quadrant preferring to limit your range of argument to the 2nd (on the 2D compass).
And what is this "every" nonsense? Perhaps it would be more proper for you to say "every...which I have read". Have you read Gunnar Myrdal's or Hubbert's works in this area? Or does your compendium of sources only contain Marx's Commie Manifesto and those who took his ideas into Authoritarian la-la land?
it's not that peculiar a bias.
if one quotes Marx, uses Marxian slogans, posts Marxist Propaganda, and issues statements which are directly in line with Marx's Manifesto, then the logical assumption is that we are talking Marxism, not Spoonerism, Thoreauism, or any of the millions of different flavours of utopian thought which have turned political discussions into pissing matches since time immemorial.
You're damn right, I do. It keeps me excited/interested as I push the boundaries of my knowledge outward.
But this subject goes beyond that focused realm of consideration, although it certainly has a large influence based on what we have collectively accepted as our governor of fulfillment (i.e. money). If you say that money has no effect on your decisions, you're a liar or deluded.
Until that changes, it would be foolish to exclude it from debate.
Just like economists who exclude banking from their models are either misinformed by orthodoxy or deceitful bastards.
money and economic reality drives many of my personal and political decisions, but not all.
And yet you can't label yourself in any manner, can you. Does the thought of finding where you stand create anxiety in you or something? Surely there must be a place in that 3D model where you can fit in. Obviously you are neither Totalitarian or Anarchist, so where the hell do you stand? You must be on that map somewhere...
Objectivist: my motivation for every urge, opinion, position, word or deed is carefully examined before any action. if the motivation is suspect, the position or urge must be re-evaluated.
Libertarian: the government which governs least is preferable, but the idea of having NO Government is rejected, due to it's necessity in protecting the rights of those who are incapable of defending their own.
Republican: (philosophy not Party) representatives elected from among their constituents are better by far than those selected by "divine right" , wealth or fiat from a position of authority, and all laws and regulations must be consistent with the Constitution.
Conservative: that which IS is usually better than that which MIGHT BE. if you wish me to accept something new, CONVINCE me it is better, or try a small scale experiment, and lets see what happens.
Social But Not Socialist: society is essential, and thus we must all give up a little of our personal fortunes, labour and effort that society as a whole may improve.
Capitalist: but what's mine is mine, and whats yours is yours, and if we wish to trade some of my shit for some of your shit, why the hell not.
i would place myself in the position on your chart marked "Internet Democracy".
not too much capitalism, nor too much collectivism, but erring on the side of capitalism.
absolute political freedom. freedom of thought and political expression is essential for any free society to function
personal liberty should be as unrestricted as possible, without devolving into anarchy, but Not Everyone Is Nice.
capitalism and free markets as much as is practical while still funding and preserving the society which allows markets to exist, and protecting The Commons from despoilers or over-exploitation
I'm getting the suspicion your comprehension of Marx is also diminutive.
I see you bringing up the commie manifesto a great deal, but no reference to any of the 4 volumes of Capital.
I have Volume I on my shelf. Quote something from there so I can play along.
i have cited Das Kapital and it's faulty assumptions based on a "materialist" (again not the standard definition, rather, the curious one used by Marx and Engles) view of social interactions several times.
all social interaction is NOT economic, in fact the best ones are entirely NON-Economic.
Examples:
Fucking: best when done with a companion, and entirely non-economic (unless we are talking hookers)
Music: MOST musicians dont make a dime for their performance, and would do it even if they were never paid.
Poetry: i have never been paid for poetry yet i still write.
Dance: very few people are paid to dance, yet almost everyone gets their boogie on at one point or another.
Political Discussion: are you being paid to post? cuz if you are, i want your agent's number bro.
Growing Weed: i dont sell my weed, in the immortal words of Rod Deal, in his classic Life In the Hills:
This Herb is not for sale man
You know i grew it by the sweat of my brow
Robbers and cops they are on my trail but
I carry water and i pull the plow
Smoking Weed: if i could make a living smoking dope i would totally do overtime, never take a vacation, and yes, i will clean up bong water spills.
Laying in the sun: another thing for which i am not paid, yet i do it as often as possible
Fishing: i dont make a profit off fishin, hell i usually dont even eat the fishies. catch and release. it makes no sense, but it is still enjoyable.
Taking My Nephews Hunting: shit. they never bagged a deer yet but we dont go out for venision, thats just the plausible excuse. maybe one of these days though...
Panning for gold: total gold panning profit to date, ~$300, yet i still do it in memory of my grandfather who loved it, and when im up to my knees in the river, shaking out sand and gravel it feels like he is right there with me.
Helping my neighbors when their cars break down: i dont get paid a dime, but i enjoy it immensely
Picking Up Trash on the Street: 0$ profit, and i gotta pay for the bags myself. why do i do it? because i like doing it. i even give the cans and bottles to the first homeless can-gigger i meet. i dont need em, and he does. why the fuck not?
Recycling my bottles and cans: i keep the Calif Redmption Value items separate from the city recycling bin, and give em to the homeless can-giggers
all social interaction is NOT financial, thats the failing of Marx and Engles.
Only in your limited scope does it do this.
You've already conceded political structures are dynamic, yet ignore the pathways of action/movement are not definitive. One could equally chart a path from Neo-Liberalism to Neo-Con to Fascism to Libertarian Utopia if they so wished. That would be one hell of a ride to engage within a lifetime, though, with obvious hurdles of
probability to overcome.
The point being, your perspective is too static or rigid in its predetermination. I've argued that it is not so, and have tried to expand the mapping for the purposes of analyses.
Perhaps I have complicated matters by introducing concepts such as the
Complex realm and multiple
degrees of "freedom" (there's another word as much abused as
socialism), but that only implies I am unsatisfied with anachronistic representations which you seemingly relish.
yep, but that would be sophistry.
One could limit their understanding of "gravity" to "everything that goes up, must come down" or they could take it further by considering the mathematical description which allows for prediction. Even there, the model is assumptive and incomplete, meaning there is more work to do in order to refine the "error" associated.
In conclusion, your perspective is grossly in err, and I have no reason--nor evidence--to accept it except under limited circumstances.
marx and engles wrote the book, their definitions are well... definitive, yet those who wish to use alternate definitions rarely provide any explanation of HOW they are using these words so fraught with baggage.
even the invitation to invent a new word and lay his own definition on it without any baggage was refused by AC (the most notable violator of definitions and logic)
But I must say, between you and the Fuzzy-Seal-Shredder, I get a lot of cognitive exercise, so I thank you for that.
de nada.
your discourse is also quite agreeable. but macro-economics is still just tarot card reading with charts and graphs.