Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2003 19:45:27 +0300
From: Ilan Shalif <gshalif-AT-netvision.net.il>
Subject: Re: AUT: Free Will???


Another two cents of mine.

Along the way of accumulated knowledge some people pointed to
some important factors involved.

The replacing of magical and theological causality with
materialistic causality was such a development.

When microbes first discovered, it was common to relate
the whole process to the microbes versus the person without
discerning the person variables.

Gradually, more and more information was discovered so in many
cases the role of the microbes were devalued and immune system
become in many cases more prominent.

And later, it was found to be more complicated as it was found that
the immune system can be influenced by psychological factors
that may even become the most decisive factors in many cases.

I do not mean to use this analogy to say the base and
superstructures are that simple. I just point that it is
absurd to expect from ancient people to have a clear grasp
of system analyses.

For sure the "development of means of production" is a factor that
contribute much to the evolving of the system.

It is advance from the assessment of history as random occurrences
or as gossip of personal activity of the elite.

The pointing to a dynamic relation between the economical base
and the social super structure is also advance.

However, the nitpicking dealing with the first approximation of
Marx and others is not the best materialistic approach.

So it is not doing justice to Marx an Angels when you you point
to their simplistic and thus erroneous claims.

For sure there is a dynamic of development of means of production
and the super structure with lot of interactions an contradictions
among them. But, for sure there are other factors involved and
in fe places the systems of whole societies collapsed back to
primitivism.

I still think I got it from them the understanding that the
development of the means of productions is the locomotive of history....
Just the train they pull have lot of breaks. there is access
of other people to the locomotive that can harass and even hamper
the driver... and the whole train is not running on one direction
rails but on bumpy terrain....

The more productive study is not if there is causality but
how we can delineate the relevant factors more influential
and how organized activity can influence the development
of the human social system.

The modern system analysis found few interesting aspects common to
the more complicated system. It enable to understand an even influence
some systems or at least to have better (partial) predictions.

In complicated systems "random" is only the result of limited ability
- temporary or eternal, to assess all the relevant factors.

However, even partial knowledge can enhance the ability to
heal cancer, to make havoc to the capitalist globalization of
these days, and advance the libertarian communist theory of revolution.


An "there is nothing more practical than a good theory" said my old
professor.

Ilan
PS
The despotic organized water system societies had some commonalties,
but not in every potential area organized water system developed.
The specific dates of their development were not direct result of
one or two factors... and of course despotic regimes were developed
when no such water system were around.

It seems that there is something in the human nature that enable
the development of despotic systems.... and the rebelling against it.

Though the questions are already in the the old scripts, the answers are not there.
I.
PPS
The most important contribution of a good theory is not in the better
answers it supply to old questions but in the new questions it promotes.
I.



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