As someone who used to sell and buy "Socialist Worker" newspaper.....which is an excellent paper by the way!.....I have to share with my readership of between zero and one, one of my favourite cartoons.....
One of my favourite cartoons!....
As someone who used to sell and buy "Socialist Worker" newspaper.....which is an excellent paper by the way!.....I have to share with my readership of between zero and one, one of my favourite cartoons.....
Banking with Berthold Brecht!
"Neither a lender nor a borrower be."
What's the bigger crime, robbing a bank or opening one?
"What is the robbing of a bank compared to the founding of a bank?"
Berthold Brecht.
----
So I think I've figured this thing out.
They are lending out lots and lots of money that they don't have
to people that can't pay it back.
Banks are needed to loan out money to people. Maybe.
But it needs a bit of regulation surely.
What's the bigger crime, robbing a bank or opening one?
"What is the robbing of a bank compared to the founding of a bank?"
Berthold Brecht.
----
So I think I've figured this thing out.
They are lending out lots and lots of money that they don't have
to people that can't pay it back.
Banks are needed to loan out money to people. Maybe.
But it needs a bit of regulation surely.
Eric the Super Historian!
"Finally, I cannot but add that no serious historian of nations and nationalism can be a committed political nationalist, except in the sense in which believers in the literal truth of the Scriptures, while unable to make contributions to evolutionary theory, are not precluded from making contributions to archaelogy and Semitic philology.
Nationalism requires too much belief in what is patently not so."
"NationalISM requires too much belief in what is patently not so."
E.J. Hobsbawm. "Nations and Nationalism since 1780."
--------------------------------------------------
"Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind."
Albert Einstein.
"Nationalism is the hand maiden of racism".....
Hobsbawm is comparing belief in nationalism or a nation to belief in a religion.
I agree.
----
We all have our foibles: Hobsbawm himself is, or was, a Marxist, Leninist, Marxist-communist and maybe a Trotskyist too (?).
All of these things are fantasies as well, I think!
----
Most conventional historians of nationalism, including Hobsbawm, more or less insist that nationalism as an ideology roughly began in 1789 along with the French Revolution.
Hobsbawm's contention seems to be that before about 1789, the ethnic or cultural group was never necessarily identified with or associated with a source of political power.
.........
-----------------
"...the....assumption, that national identification is somehow so natural, primary and permanent as to precede history, is...widely held..."
Eric Hobsbawm.
"Nationalism requires too much belief in what is simply not so."
Eric Hobsbawm.
Nationalism requires too much belief in what is patently not so."
"NationalISM requires too much belief in what is patently not so."
E.J. Hobsbawm. "Nations and Nationalism since 1780."
--------------------------------------------------
"Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind."
Albert Einstein.
"Nationalism is the hand maiden of racism".....
Hobsbawm is comparing belief in nationalism or a nation to belief in a religion.
I agree.
----
We all have our foibles: Hobsbawm himself is, or was, a Marxist, Leninist, Marxist-communist and maybe a Trotskyist too (?).
All of these things are fantasies as well, I think!
----
Most conventional historians of nationalism, including Hobsbawm, more or less insist that nationalism as an ideology roughly began in 1789 along with the French Revolution.
Hobsbawm's contention seems to be that before about 1789, the ethnic or cultural group was never necessarily identified with or associated with a source of political power.
.........
-----------------
"...the....assumption, that national identification is somehow so natural, primary and permanent as to precede history, is...widely held..."
Eric Hobsbawm.
"Nationalism requires too much belief in what is simply not so."
Eric Hobsbawm.
One reason
One reason that I reject nineteenth century thinkers like Marx, Nietzsche and Freud is that they went too far in the first flush of exuberance in questioning everything. And yet they still had a lot of irrationality built into their thinking if only because of the period they were in.
They went too far in almost creating religions themselves when they were questioning religion.
So-called "Marxism" and Pscyhoanalysis certainly had the characteristics of religions with all their dogma and intolerance.
They went too far in almost creating religions themselves when they were questioning religion.
So-called "Marxism" and Pscyhoanalysis certainly had the characteristics of religions with all their dogma and intolerance.
"...the point, however, is to change it..."
"The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it."
Marx.
Philosophy and academic study undoubtedly are about understanding and interpreting the world.
I personally firmly agree with Marx here that a further purpose of philosophy and hence of academic study in general is also to change the world as the philosopher sees fit, and to work out how to do so.
Marx.
Philosophy and academic study undoubtedly are about understanding and interpreting the world.
I personally firmly agree with Marx here that a further purpose of philosophy and hence of academic study in general is also to change the world as the philosopher sees fit, and to work out how to do so.
Socialism is quite normal
Socialism is quite normal.
Eric Fromm - social theorist - was a SOCIALIST and a HUMANIST.
Einstein - one of the greatest scientists ever - was also a lifelong SOCIALIST - as he defined it.
-------------
Eric Fromm - social theorist - was a SOCIALIST and a HUMANIST.
Einstein - one of the greatest scientists ever - was also a lifelong SOCIALIST - as he defined it.
-------------
I didn't know Karl knew the Bushes.
"History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce."
Karl Marx.
I didn't know Karl knew the Bushes.
Karl Marx.
I didn't know Karl knew the Bushes.
Is that right regarding Eric Fromm?
"Erich Fromm, the Marxist psychoanalyst and Buddhist writer..."
Madeleine Bunting in Saturday's Guardian.
Rather a sententious description. But at least it's a mention of a thinker of great importance.
He was not a doctrinaire Marxist, nor a doctrinaire psychoanalyst either, if he was either at all.
As for Buddhist, well that's news to me. He was interested in the idea of God. Maybe he was influenced by Buddhism, but a Buddhist?
He described himself as a humanistic socialist.
Madeleine Bunting in Saturday's Guardian.
Rather a sententious description. But at least it's a mention of a thinker of great importance.
He was not a doctrinaire Marxist, nor a doctrinaire psychoanalyst either, if he was either at all.
As for Buddhist, well that's news to me. He was interested in the idea of God. Maybe he was influenced by Buddhism, but a Buddhist?
He described himself as a humanistic socialist.
On the term "Communist"......
Everyone is a communist. We are all tribal animals. We need a broader conception of the term.
England is supposed to have communities now. Is it therefore communist?
Communism is not by nature totalitarian.
Strictly speaking Christians are communists or should be. The Gospel is explicitly communist.
But I am an atheist anyway.
The word has been hijacked by Marxists maybe.
England is supposed to have communities now. Is it therefore communist?
Communism is not by nature totalitarian.
Strictly speaking Christians are communists or should be. The Gospel is explicitly communist.
But I am an atheist anyway.
The word has been hijacked by Marxists maybe.
"From each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs."
Why do "Marxists" HARDLY EVER quote this (re?-)quote by Karl ? :
"From each according to their abilities,
to each according to their needs."
It would be surprisingly easy to realise a system where this was the case.
...
"From each according to their abilities,
to each according to their needs."
It would be surprisingly easy to realise a system where this was the case.
...
Drenched in Philosophy!
Karl Marx and Adam Smith were both FIRST and FOREMOST philosophers who were DRENCHED in Philosophy.
Karl Marx's PHD was in Ancient Greek Philosophy.
Do their supposed contemporary followers show any interest in or respect for Philosophy?
(To answer this rhetorical question once again - it seems necessary AGAIN - the answer is of course something like - "DO THEY FUCK!")
In fact - one might think that "Marxists" would all be philosophers and that "the Adam Smith Institutes" or such like would teach philosophy......
Is this so?.....
Karl Marx's PHD was in Ancient Greek Philosophy.
Do their supposed contemporary followers show any interest in or respect for Philosophy?
(To answer this rhetorical question once again - it seems necessary AGAIN - the answer is of course something like - "DO THEY FUCK!")
In fact - one might think that "Marxists" would all be philosophers and that "the Adam Smith Institutes" or such like would teach philosophy......
Is this so?.....
Comedic Filosofy Quotes of Groucho Marx
"Until now philosophers have only interpreted the world.
The point however is to revere other philosophers from hundreds of years ago."
Groucho Marx.
"The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of conflict over shrubbery."
Groucho Marx.
"That Marxist pamphlet you gave me the other day was really well produced.
Loads of stuff about the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
REALLY CLASSY!"
Groucho Marx.
The point however is to revere other philosophers from hundreds of years ago."
Groucho Marx.
"The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of conflict over shrubbery."
Groucho Marx.
"That Marxist pamphlet you gave me the other day was really well produced.
Loads of stuff about the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
REALLY CLASSY!"
Groucho Marx.
Class struggle or shrubbery?.... er.....
"The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of conflict over shrubbery......"
Or was it class struggle?......er......
Or was it class struggle?......er......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)