Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 08:43:39 -0500
From: Louis Proyect <lnp3-AT-columbia.edu>
Subject: Re: M-TH: Marine biodiversity and soil fertility


James Heartfield:
>Also you should understand that the concept of 'ecosystems' is just an
>anthropomorphic imposition upon nature. It is meant to imply a fragility
>in the natural interdependence of species. But, like its conterpart in
>economics, equilibrium theory, the theory of fragile ecosystems is a
>fiction. In fact natural cycles are being overturned and reconstituted
>throughout natural history. That's what the theory of natural selection
>is.

This is rubbish. When the Exxon Valdese ran aground in Alaska's waters, it
had an enormously destructive impact on the ecosystem. There had been
changes in the natural world for millions of years. Species became extinct
because of climate changes, volcanic eruptions, exhaustion of food
supplies, desertification, etc. The first type of problem is produced by
capitalism, the second is produced by nature itself.

If the Amazon rainforest is left to itself, there will no doubt be changes
that are a function of the interaction between flora, fauna and the
elements. What socialists are concerned about, however, is the wholesale
destruction of this ecosystem by multinational corporations. These
corporations are making private decisions about how old-growth timber
should be used. They decide that they would make good furniture. Humanity
is not involved in this decision. We might prefer to have such trees
produce medicine or to cool the atmosphere.

Our debate with Jesus Zarathustra Jr. and Mr. Heartfield is over the fate
of such resources. They share with the capitalist class, and its ideologues
like Julian Simon, the belief that capital accumulation takes priority over
the greater good of humanity. What's good for General Motors is good for
America, so to speak. Mr. Zarathustra never was a socialist, while Mr.
Heartfield's cult used to be part of the socialist movement. The reason
they bow down before the capitalist class is that they have a confused
notion of what Marxism is about. They have a vulgar Marxist notion that the
expansion of capitalism is beneficial. When Marx and Engels wrote the
Communist Manifesto, the capitalist class was in some ways a revolutionary
class. Even then, they saw capitalism as a destructive system that had to
be replaced by socialism immediately. This vision of socialism has been
lost by Mr. Heartfield, while it never was taken seriously by the
libertarian troll, Jesus Boddhisatva Jr.

Louis Proyect



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