Date: 14 Feb 96 04:01:37 EST
From: "Chris, London" <100423.2040-AT-compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: the collapse of capitalism?


As a non-marxist visitor, Brian Carnell, is  welcome becomes
his challenges are polite. And have all the more impact for that reason.

I won't try to get into this thread in detail, but I just wanted to comment
that marxism has always been clear about the tremendous revolutionary
role of capitalism in increasing the production of use values per hour
of input of labour time. The Communist Manifesto is eloquent about the 
impact of this.

Although few on this list would argue that there is a mechanical inevitability
that capitalism will collapse automatically, as a system
it is vulnerable to a number of charges and not just that of inequality.

It is a reasonable overview to say that except when capitalism can draw 
into its circulation new sources of labour power, it usually operates 
significantly below the total productive capacity of the society. Thus it is
plausibly alleged that at present 30% of the world's workforce is either 
unemployed or under-employed.

Furthermore the chaotic nature of the system, means that its control is on 
the agenda in many countries, most transnational corporations, and world 
forums. No one knows for sure for example why the best estimates are that the
average temperature in the world was 0.5C higher last year. Just random
variation?  Perhaps; but it's getting too risky not to be thinking seriously how to 
bring capitalism under social control, even if you are not doing too badly 
yourself.

When are we going to get a real representative of capitalism on this l*st?


Chris 
London



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