File spoon-archives/marxism.archive/marxism_1994/94-12-31.000, message 51


Date: Wed, 14 Dec 94 07:57:09 GMT
From: Ron Press <anclondon-AT-gn.apc.org>
Subject: in last instant


The dialectical interconnection between cause and effect, or between 
base and superstructure is of fundamental importance. 
 
In the recent past this was associated with the mechanics and 
mathematics of Newton. With the advent of Quantum mechanics the 
inner workings of cause and effect were seen to be more complex and 
closer to the Marxist/Hegel concepts of dialectics.
 
In even more recent times the pioneering work of Lorenz and others  
has given a mathematical basis to the question of determinism. 
"Chaos" (a very bad name) theory elaborates a sort of determinate 
indeterminism. The Lorenz strange attractor.
 
In simpler terms. Consider the weather, (one of the systems Lorenz 
worked on) It is `certain' that winter follows summer. Exactly when 
is not certain. There will be snow in New York. Probably but how 
much and when is indeterminate. The mathematics of weather 
forecasting will be able to predict when snow will fall. But within 
the maths will be an indeterminacy.
 
The substructure of the capitalist mode of production gives rise to 
a culture of greed. But not that alone. It also gives rise to trade 
unions, to the Christian ethic of charity, and to the need for 
"socialism". As with the strange attractor the future is determined 
but indeterminate. Capital gave rise to and was replaced by 
"socialism" in the Soviet Union but the  system swung back. 
Capitalism has replaced socialism in the former USSR. That will not 
be the end of the story.
 
Marxists need to study the developments in science. There is a gold 
mine ready to be tapped.


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