File spoon-archives/marxism.archive/marxism_1995/95-04-30.000, message 94


From: Hans Despain <DESPAIN-AT-econ.sbs.utah.edu>
Date:          Thu, 6 Apr 1995 11:27:31 GMT-700
Subject:       Bhaskar's Dialectical Universalizability


I agree with Howie's, Ehrbar's and Fellini's concern of Justin's 
stablity and progressive history conception.  This is conservative 
and radically dangerous in that one is able to justify all forms of 
upheavl, including murder, in the name of a progessive emancipating 
history.  I have followed Justin's arguments and remain completely 
unconviced.  Moreover, I believe *systematic dialectics* (Tony Smith) 
or *epistemological dialectics* and *ontological dialectics* (Roy 
Bhaskar) provides very good reason to **not** be committed to a 
notion of history with its own purpose and direction (Justin I know 
that this is not what you necessarily mean, but all our arguments 
seem to still imply that we be committed to a history which is 
gradually working out social ills, I don't buy it).

A notion of emancipation cannot be rooted in a notion of historical 
necessity, and become progessive.  This is indeed Hegel's problem, is 
it not (perhaps Marx and Marxists).  Actually I think Hegel 
progressive argument to be quite interesting, Hegel's however has to 
do with a development of Self-consciousness, where there seems good 
reason to be committed to a progressive development, but "stablity" 
is a strange reformation.  Over-coming domination is not necessarily, 
in my view (I don't see it) a declaration of progessive history.  
Moreover, often it seems history is a return to domination (See E. 
Fromm's *The Anatomy of Human Destructivness* 19??).

Ehrbar claims that socialism is based on transcendental argument may 
overstate or misplace Bhaskar grounds.  Ehrbar qualified this by 
saying 'this is how we come to understand it' (parapharse).  Yes, for 
Bhaksar this is how we become to understand it, but there is no 
"Transcendental Illusion" here, Bhaskar does not ground socialism on 
transcendental grounds (which is not, I believe, what Ehrbar has 
tried to claim), but he has established a notion of epistemology and 
ethics which grounds his notion of human emancipation and a claim 
for an *alternative* on ethical grounds, based on our understanding 
of the world (not on a transcendental illusion). 

Moreover, as Ehrbar points out Bhaskar's notion of *abscences*, his 
first step of the dialectic, seems to have hold much more possiblities 
then the "positive" notion of stability.  For Bhaskar the 'positive 
is tiny but important ripple on a sea of negativity' (paraphase page 
5(?) of *Dialectic: The Pulse of Freedom*).  It is the abscences in a 
very general sense which push history along, it (history) is only 
micro-directional for Bhakar (Ehrbar explains this quite well).

Socialism or any other "better" alternative is not going to emerge 
because history demands it, or because of quasi-human propensity of 
something or other, but from human *conscious* action and effort.  
This develops from a well formulated and constituted ethic, and an 
instituted epistemology.  Bhaskar is attempting to do this.

"De-alienation" and "Freedom" according to Bhaskar, need motivation 
and incentives, which is not found in any sort of rational autonomy 
of human beings (I think Fellini is correct to see this in Justin's 
argument and point it out).  Bhaskar is always very diplomatic 
with critiques, and of espeically Marx, but he says something to the 
effect that a critique of attempts at alternatives is the fault of 
Marxists who negelect or reduce ethics in their attempts, however, 
the root of this is found within Marx.  Especially his seemingly 
*utopian* commitment and often unilinear concept of history.

I think a unilinear commitment to history is incompatible with the 
notion of a Marxian or humanistic ethic.  The ethic can be justified 
simply by History's forward march.  I reject unilinear history for 
instead the work and effort which must be accomplished to establish; 
constitute and institute; a humanistic ethic, based on our 
understnading of the world, especially the historical ills, abuses, 
and especially the *absences* which have plauged the human race 
throughout history including "1984".

Hans Despain
University of Utah
despain-AT-econ.sbs.utah.edu


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