Date: Fri, 20 Sep 1996 23:47:50 +0100
Subject: Re: Dogmatism


JC is too optimistic:

>        Naturally it is in the interest of everyone who wants to build a
>revolutionary organisation to encourage always and everywhere creative (though
>informed) analysis and thought, not essentially for moral reasons, but because
>rigid repetition of untested hypotheses is not convincing and you can't
>build an
>organisation of people who will have wide influencearound them in movements for
>change if you don't develop their capacity for creative thought.

You *can* build such organizations, and they'll screw up any change that
might be in the offing. I don't feel like naming names today. We've all got
our favourites.

>        It takes time to develop creative thought, and one needs also to
>be well
>informed. All organisations have members who are dogmatic. If the organization
>constantly tests its ideas in action, the dogmatic members do tend to
>either get
>smarter or leave. If the organization tests its ideasin struggle and in deep
>contact with the working class movement and other sections of the population in
>revolt.

This is central, of course. The classical historical case is Lenin
returning to Russia from exile in April 1917. Here it was the *combination*
of an undogmatic leader with enormous clout in the leadership of his party,
and a working class and people in revolution.

The need for a Lenin and a huge people mobilizing for revolution points up
the difficulties in keeping creative thought in the driving seat of any
revolutionary party. It's a great challenge.

Cheers,

Hugh




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