Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 17:30:58 -0700 (MST)
Subject: Marxism: meat and potatoes questions




Can anyone describe Marxism for me?  Please don't say "socialism" or
even "socialism based on the writings of Marx" because we all know
that socialism predates Marxism, and also that there are any number
of Marxist, post-Marxist, and neo-Marxist schisms.

What are the primary philosophical differences between democratic
socialism and Marxism?  What are the criticisms of the latter for the
former?  Is democracy compatable with Marxism?  By "democracy"
I refer to a multi-party system in which basic constitutional rights
to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom from unreasonable
search, seizure, and invasion of privacy are recognized, along with a 
judicial branch genuinely independent from the executive branch (i.e.,
judges independent from the police and their administrative or political
bosses), and a justice system incorporating habeus corpus, etc., and in 
which people are not prosecuted for political crimes.

What are the goals of Marxism, and how does it intend to reach these
goals, i.e., what are the acceptable tools for political activism, and
do Marxists expect to attain their goals without some form of action
outside the bounds of the elective system?  If not, what form would
such action take, or be expected to take, eventually?  Organized
civil disobedience?  Extra-legal seizure of property?  Armed action?
(And if the latter, in an offensive or purely defensive and reactionary
capacity?  Give examples of potential scenarios.)

What economic models do the various modern Marxist schisms propose?  
What is the role of the state in contemporary Marxist economic theory?
How centralized or decentralized should state control of the economy
be?  Is economic power to be held directly and democratically, by
the people, or indirectly by some party?  If the former, how would
that work?  Is Marxism consistent with market socialism?  (By market
socialism, I have in mind a system in which individual businesses,
particularly above a certain level of assets, are democratically
owned and controlled by the workers; but these businesses remain
part of a market economy in which the information flow from consumers
to producers remains in tact; but superimposed upon these networks of
more or less independent worker-owned and controlled enterprises would
be broader regional and national mechanisms for the redistribution of
income and capital, to insure a basic standard of living for everyone.)

I would also be interested in a Marxist critique of liberal capitalism.

--
Pufferton's the name -- baccarat's the game

Mark Adkins (emerald-AT-aztec.asu.edu)


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