Date: Fri, 12 Apr 96 13:59:00 GMT
Subject: Re: Groups as basic unit of production



> 
> Adam Rose wrote:
> 
> > The explanation of the rise of human society must start with hominids in
> > their African environment, and use the laws of nature to explain why 
> > human society developed. Chronologically , this refers to a period
> > starting roughly 3,000,000 years ago and ENDING with the demise of
> > the neanderthals ( 20 ? 15 ? 10,000 years ago ).
> 
> The chronology can also be developed *backwards* rather than forwards in 
> the sense that an evaluation of modern society sheds light on 
> pre-capitalist modes of production.
> 

What do you mean ?

I think I may agree - this is partly why I am very reluctant to 
abandon classic Marxist analysis for pre class human societies,
because there would be then no reason not to abandon it for
class societies. Of course, if there were compelling evidence
to force me to do that I would have to, at least for pre class
societies.

But Lisa does not appear to be doing this. She seems to be
posing questions which are difficult to answer, because they
are asking questions similar to "given the physics of the
internal combustion engine , how do we explain traffic jams ?".
Maybe she will be successful.

But to convince me that it is a better approach, she needs either
to provide evidence which contradicts my theory, and/or show me
how her theories explain other new phenomena better than mine.

>
> > By "forces of production" I meant human society.
> 
> That is a very unconventional definition.
> 

Oh ! This is getting more + more annoying.

I presented a very schematic argument using single words or phrases
to represent whole lines of argument. I said "genetics" when I meant
"the laws of nature : including genetics, Darwinian evolution, etc
etc". Similarly I used "forces of production" when I meant "the whole
Marxist analysis of human society : forces amd relations of production,
base, superstructure, dialectical materialism . . . ( + anything I may
have missed )".

The reason I presented the argument quite so schematically and in quite
such an abbreviated manner was that I thought it was well understood
common ground. Some hope !

Anyway, enough about methodology, I think.

Perhaps if Lisa provides some data and her analysis of it, and others
present alternative analyses, with whatever data they have, we might
get somewhere. We might even start agreeing !

Adam.

Adam Rose
SWP
Manchester
UK


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