From: Dieter Dambiec <d.dambiec-AT-student.canberra.edu.au>
Subject: RE: M-TH: Re: G.A. Cohen Interview in Philosophers' Web Mag
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 21:22:35 +1000



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-----Original Message-----
From:	Dave Bedggood [SMTP:dr.bedggood-AT-auckland.ac.nz]
Sent:	Thursday, October 23, 1997 3:34 AM

Because it would mean that we would have to junk marxism.

[>]  Precisely, and develop a modern progressive form of socialism.

After hearing hollow lectures on economics or philosophy, some people are inclined to think that these ideas or theories will be able to bring about the economic liberation of the people and unite them. Without creating any incentive for work--that is, without creating any inspiration or interest amongst people for work--these theories only view people in terms of necessity. They do not give any special value to people's efficiency.

 It is a shear waste of public money to build huge monuments and memorials or construct roads in memory of these people. These hypocrites keep repeating the sweet slogans of democracy like parrots, just for public consumption, until they grab political power in a country. Once they have grabbed political power, they unscrupulously throw democracy in the dustbin and unhesitatingly grind subtle human sensibilities and higher human values to dust under the steam roller of a ruthless party dictatorship.

      The term communism is derived from the word commune which is comprised of the prefix 'co' and the root 'mune'. 'Co' means together and 'mune' means to do something. So commune means to do something together. Commune plus ism equals communism. The term communism is only applicable where the commune system exists. Those who follow the commune system are communists. In the com mune system there is no relationship amongst people doing some thing together as everything is imposed from the top. Hence the word commune as used by Karl Marx is improper and misleading. While Marx said many things, here our discussion here is only concerned with those things in his philosophy which went against human psychology. That is, we are only concerned with that part of his philosophy which attempted to build castles on quicksand. Communism is based on crude materialistic philosophy. Its goal is to enjoy whatever you get, depriving others. There is no scope for preparing the mind in an intellectual flow towards the pinnacled entity. When the mind reaches the body of its object--when the mind takes the form of its object--whether the object is crude or subtle, the mind is powdered down.

In the communist system there is want of humanity and want of morality. The very theory of communism makes the mind crude. Communism is unable to provide the proper environment for the creation of a strong, solid psychic and intellectual structure. That is why moral stamina--moral sanctity--is lost in communist countries.

In communist countries there is no sanctity in moral life--society is devoid of moral principles. In the name of this defective theory one of the leaders of the USSR killed more than 500,000 people and sent many more to labour camps in Siberia. Amongst all the anti-human and homicidal theories that have been created in this world, communism is the most barbarous. The day has come for it to be thrown on the scrap heap forever.

Previously meritorious students accepted Marxism as the best theory out of a bad lot, but they did not embrace it as their ideology of life. Now the cream of the university students are not attracted towards Marxism because Marx ism is the symbol of intellectual hollowness. The relationship between communism and intellectuality is like the relationship between a snake and a ferret. Just as it is the nature of a ferret to devour a snake, intellectually developed people can easily expose the defects in Marxism.

The philosophy of Gandhi died before India got independence--it died long before Gandhi died. But communism has survived long after the death of Marx. It survived only due to the force of arms and constant booming. If constant booming is done for something, then people start thinking that there must be some truth in what is being propagated.

In communist countries the party leaders tried every possi ble 
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