Comments on: Making nonsense of Marx http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:32:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Dan Hunter http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43693 Dan Hunter Thu, 23 Sep 2004 19:45:45 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43693 Thanks for catching me on the commons=Marxism line. I think I can justify this pretty easily, but as it stands it's too shorthanded. Will fix in final version. Thanks for catching me on the commons=Marxism line. I think I can justify this pretty easily, but as it stands it’s too shorthanded. Will fix in final version.

]]> By: John Quiggin http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43692 John Quiggin Thu, 23 Sep 2004 07:49:29 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43692 Captain Jack Aubrey: <a href="http://www.johnquiggin.com/archives/001816.html">marxist avant le nom</a> Captain Jack Aubrey: marxist avant le nom

]]> By: Henry http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43691 Henry Thu, 23 Sep 2004 02:17:39 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43691 Yep - you're right that Hunter's argument that any commons is inherently Marxist is at best problematic (although Levin's criticism misses the point completely). Yep – you’re right that Hunter’s argument that any commons is inherently Marxist is at best problematic (although Levin’s criticism misses the point completely).

]]> By: djw http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43690 djw Thu, 23 Sep 2004 01:54:31 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43690 About collectivism, yes. About 'property is theft', Proudhon. About equality, various other socialists. About collectivism, yes. About ‘property is theft’, Proudhon. About equality, various other socialists.

]]> By: Tom T. http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43689 Tom T. Thu, 23 Sep 2004 01:21:17 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43689 Isn't her error that she's confusing Marxism with Leninism (or Stalinism)? Isn’t her error that she’s confusing Marxism with Leninism (or Stalinism)?

]]> By: jdw http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43688 jdw Thu, 23 Sep 2004 01:15:21 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43688 _This makes about as much sense as saying “transportation of any sort is inherently a Honda”_ After the revolution -- just wait! This makes about as much sense as saying “transportation of any sort is inherently a Honda” After the revolution—just wait!

]]> By: djw http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43687 djw Thu, 23 Sep 2004 01:00:43 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43687 To be clear--assertion of Hunter's is a howler, even if his larger point (Marx cares not one way or the other private property unless it's MoP). But you're absolutely right that she's substituted Proudhon for Marx. Which is an irritatingly common mistake. To be clear—assertion of Hunter’s is a howler, even if his larger point (Marx cares not one way or the other private property unless it’s MoP). But you’re absolutely right that she’s substituted Proudhon for Marx. Which is an irritatingly common mistake.

]]> By: djw http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43686 djw Thu, 23 Sep 2004 00:55:34 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43686 <i>a commons of any sort is inherently Marxian</i> This makes about as much sense as saying "transportation of any sort is inherently a Honda" a commons of any sort is inherently Marxian This makes about as much sense as saying “transportation of any sort is inherently a Honda”

]]> By: Kieran Healy http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43685 Kieran Healy Wed, 22 Sep 2004 22:21:35 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43685 <blockquote>[I]n communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, debug kernel sources after dinner, just as I have a mind...<p>-- _The German Ideology_</p></blockquote> <blockquote>Men make their own history, but they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from Redmond, WA. <p>-- _The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte_. </p></blockquote>
[I]n communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, debug kernel sources after dinner, just as I have a mind…

—The German Ideology

Men make their own history, but they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from Redmond, WA.

—The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte.

]]> By: dsquared http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43684 dsquared Wed, 22 Sep 2004 22:02:19 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43684 Come on, Henry! What about what Marx wrote in his "<i>Wholehearted Endorsement of the Gotha Program</i>" :-) Come on, Henry! What about what Marx wrote in his “Wholehearted Endorsement of the Gotha Program” :-)

]]> By: abb1 http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/22/making-nonsense-of-marx/comment-page-1/#comment-43683 abb1 Wed, 22 Sep 2004 21:59:06 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/wp/?p=2232#comment-43683 My impression is that the essence of the marxist concept is collective ownership of the means of production. Which could be rephrased as no 'work for hire'. Which could be rephrased as liberation of humanity from exploitation. Basically, the next big evolutionary step after the abolition of slavery. I think the 'open source' thing fits quite nicely as one component, marxist approach in one particular area, one subset of economic activity. You produce what you like and take what you need. You don't even have to produce anything and still can take what you need. And there are no toilets to clean. My impression is that the essence of the marxist concept is collective ownership of the means of production. Which could be rephrased as no ‘work for hire’. Which could be rephrased as liberation of humanity from exploitation. Basically, the next big evolutionary step after the abolition of slavery. I think the ‘open source’ thing fits quite nicely as one component, marxist approach in one particular area, one subset of economic activity. You produce what you like and take what you need. You don’t even have to produce anything and still can take what you need. And there are no toilets to clean.

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