Notes on Socialism, Positivism, & Marx

(c. 1700-1900) Alcantara, Casimiro, Pe, Syquia

Outline of the Discussion

Premises Introduction Comte de Saint-Simon: The Basis of Positivism Proudhon: An Alternative Socialism Marx and Engel: On The Communist Manifesto Conclusion: Towards a Long History

Parameters and Observations

PREMISES

Premises
1. The central aim of political thinking is to propose and investigate the most efficient form of human organization whose focus is the betterment of the universal human condition. 2. The most efficient form of human organization, once defined or imagined, introduces the possibility of utopia. The idea of utopia varies per school of thought.

Premises
3. The proposals of political thinking thus exist in a dialectic based on particular historical circumstances. 4. But what appears to be European is in fact an adjective specific to Western Europe. 5. Positivism and Socialism are two ends of a spectrum.

Premises
6. Positivism emphasizes that solution is based on action and that action is derived from empirical predictions. 7. Socialism centers on the idea of predetermination or creation of a planned society that operates on justif not equal compensation.

The nature and context of Positivism & Socialism

INTRODUCTION

Context
Positivism & Socialism: results on the intellectual revolutions Enlightenment & Reformation High degree of Intellectualism A cross: the historical & intellectual traditions Point: The rejection of God as the core of politics but the retention of precise code of morality

Context (Niemeyer, Simon)

For (early & mainstream) Positivism: refusal to philosophize wastefully For Socialism: make better the condition of the working class via Marx: the triumph of the rational state (the whole) over the political state (part)

Context
The fundamental picture: The reordering of society and political administration after the radicalization of the Industrial, French, and intellectual and scientific revolutions Follows the Utilitarian point on efficiency The issue: How does one reorder society? Where does one begin?

European Positivism
August Comte: student and breakaway Consolidation of Comte de Saint-Simons notes on Positivism Difference between Positivism & Scientism Scientism: an attitude of admiration for the natural science and the wish to extend their virtues to other disciplines (Simon)

European Positivism (Simons)

Positivism: More than a (scientific) method A system of affirmations a conception of the world and of man The affirmation: the phenomena of human thought & of social life were continuous with empirical identity of nature, can be verified to yield comparably reliable results

European Positivism (Simons)

The Positivist dialectic (Hierarchy of Sciences): 1) Theological stage 2) Stage of metaphysical abstractions 3) Positive stage: the world through scientific truths Organized Positivism ergo: a means of reconciling scientific speculation with the governing of mankind

Requirements of Positivism (Simons)

Goal: Redemption and regeneration of Humanity (or at any rate of western Europe, or at a pinch maybe only of France First need: To serve humanity it was necessary to know humanity. How: reorganization of society political messianism of Saint-Simon

Justification of Positivism
The connection to New Christianity that mental and moral change was logically and chronologically prior to social and political change (Simons) Positivism acknowledged the need for a religion of Humanity, the base of the new morals, that should have enlisted hundreds of full-fledged disciples

The Problems with Positivism

1) Its amenability to different emphases and interpretations; 2) The existence of multiple factions within Positivism; FYI: The rejection of the term Positivist by certain factions. Marx, initially a positivist, did not consider himself a Marxist. Success based on own institutional history

Socialism: A Tradition
Niemeyer: The history of socialism cannot be written due to the fact that there is no true socialist society. Socialism then is not an order of existence; rather, it is the name of an imagined historical future for human redemption. (Niemeyer) Varieties of Socialism

Socialism via Marx in Four Parts

Niemeyer observes: 1) Existence of idea-centered movements 2) Institutionalization of the ideals 3) Revolution/ reboot 4) Communism

Socialism gone wrong

Socialism, particularly Marxism, in spite of its bitterly critical appearance, is in truth first cousin to liberalism: a rational, evolutionary, non-violent, democratic and amiable system of ideas on the improvement of economic production and the social situation. (Niemeyer)

The basis of early European Positivism

COMTE DE SAINT-SIMON

Comte de Saint-Simon
Government & utopia: 1) Government led by the organic and traditional intellectuals; 2) A society in order to be peaceful and just ought to adhere to strict code of morality, based on New Christianity; 3) With a determined history & future

History as Basis (Simons)

Utopia is founded on the empirical data of history. Ergo: History should be viewed from a sufficiently elevated vantage point. History should be seen in a single, entire glance as a simple series of observations on the course and development of civilization," Thus: The leader can extract general laws. The idea of progress was predetermined by the philosopher-king.

Saint-Simons Positivism
The aim, which was by no means new, was to secure a comprehensive, reliable, coherent picture of the universe and of the laws governing it. The method was simply to apply the method of the natural sciences to other areas of knowledge, where it would yield equally spectacular and unassailable results.

To achieve Saint-Simons Positivism

1) One had to subscribe to the Law of Three States (Theology, Metaphysical, Positivist); 2) And Closely connected with this law was the other assumption, that the various branches of knowledge, or sciences, were arranged in a hierarchy. Ergo: the bases for Saint-Simons stringent ideas

New Christianity & Positivism

The urge of the positivist was to generalize and to moralize. (Simon) That all generalizations arose from empirical observations. Thus: Positive philosophy, moreover, was programmatic, and, what was worse, programmatic in its own behalf, creating a limited system where freedom was false.

Criticism on Saint-Simons Utopia

The criticism stems from the glitches in his formulation of Positivism, which in return affect the possibility of his utopia: 1) The oversimplification of history & insight; 2) The attempt in perfecting human civilization; 3) The extensive reduction as seen in a single morality, the replacement of state govt, definition and nature of intellect

Criticism on Saint-Simons Utopia

4) The paradoxical formula of intellectualization and moralization via New Christianity 5) A predetermined history of the positivist society that did not allow change or radicalization, and his definition of revolution; 6) The dependence of the systems progress upon pure and elite human intellect; 7) Anti-industrialization prevention by intellect;

As a result: the defeat of objectivity

Saint-Simons objectivity was made problematic by historical empiricism itself. The totalitarian utopia led by a philosopherking clashed with the ideas of freedom. W.M. Simons writes: Saint-Simon constructed history with a view to making the future come out right that he used history and the Idea of Progress in the service of his utopia.

An Alternative Socialism

PROUDHON

The center of Proudhons Socialism

Questioned the idea of justice and equality His notion of justice mat be simplified to social justice; his idea of equality based on individualism that acknowledges nonproletariat entities The un-Marxist Socialist: Marx as moderate The first goal for Proudhon: revolution

A warning about Proudhon

Much is disputed about the true meaning of his very misleading article on Property; Proudhon has the tendency of shifting his point of objectivity according to the best circumstance for his argument, thus, rendering his points as either contradictory or ineffectively oversimplified. Like Locke Proudhon demands revolt; unlike Locke, he does not give ample justification.

Proudhon vs. Positivism

Joseph Schumpeter commented: Proudhon realizes that his findings are absurd, but, instead of inferring from this that there is something wrong with his methods, [he] he infers that there must be something wrong with his object of research Ergo: Proudhons claims on social/ economic facts are untestable or else invalid by empirical method

The difficulty with Proudhon

Proudhons Socialism focused on the individual, unlike Marxs that had the collective. The individual was the greatest good. This idea of the individual & circumstantial leads to the very evident inconsistencies in Proudhonian doctrine.

The difficulty with Proudhon

Proudhons General Idea of Revolution, with the establishment of New Order, through a central code of moral and normal doctrine (see Curtis p. 137) in effect contradicts the idea of individualism. His idea of New Order rejects the existence of other faces of society; that in establishing the new society, WE must choose among the many faces for a single: economic, political, militaristic etc.

Realistic Basis of Proudhon

Core: believed in mans unchanging nature Thus: held history as constant rather than unchanging Reinforces his view on human nature by uncovering social forces that place unescapable limits on thought and action; He searches in history.

Realistic Basis of Proudhon

On history: History serves as an antidote to complacency and resignation by showing that oppression need no longer be accepted in its established form. Via history: One may imagine the possibility of liberation through revolution Liberation thus finally becomes a realistic goal.

Realistic Basis of Proudhon

Proudhon proposes to resume Rousseaus battle for complete victory, i.e. the collapse of institution. Proudhon rejects wealth, power, prestige to rate all members of society. This creates inequality. Acceptance of choices should be the first rule. Proudhon endorsed anarchism in declaring government is coercive & violent, it must be evil.

Two Types of Socialism

Via Proudhon: a social arrangement that guaranteed both personal security & observance of respect, through mutualism Via Marx: the establishment of a classless, stateless society Method of the two: social pressure For Proudhon: Pressure limits conflicts so for people to arrive at agreements & bargaining For Marx: Pressure abolished conflict for peace, protected the stability by the absence of law & government

On The Communist Manifesto

MARX AND ENGEL

Two Socialisms
Both Proudhons and Marxs Socialisms espoused democracy but: For Proudhon: Democracy was a necessary conclusion For Marx: democracy solves the enigma of constitutions in at last revealing what was always true but always concealed: that institutions are the work of man himself Substructure and superstructure

Prime tenets of The Communist Manifesto

1) Dictatorship of the proletariat; 2) Through a period of revolutionary transformation of society

Marx and the Positivist Tradition

Marx rejected the idea of utopian socialism as espoused by Proudhon; Rational & utopian thinking is a bourgeois tool. Marx did so by branding his and Engels socialism as scientific socialism that studied the empirical nature of structures in the community; Marx thus focused on capital, class, structures and bases etc. Marx was technically a positivist in this sense. Marx nonetheless created his own utopia.

Marx, the Positivist Tradition, and beyond

The materialist conception of history Based on the study of English economic history; History of haves and have-nots: class struggle that the transformation of money into capital presupposes a historic process which separates the objective conditions of labor and makes them independent of and sets them against the laborers. (Marx)

The materialist conception of history

Social change depended upon: invasion/ increased population/ through productivity People everywhere and under all historical circumstances behave economically. Productivity and economic tendencies created alienation in society, thus creating more sections in the class-based society. Ergo: oppression, class struggle, exploitation

The materialist conception of history

The manifestation of this materialist conception of history may be seen in terms of the rise of a new section in society, after the fall of feudalism and in the period of the emergence of the nation-state. The Communist Manifesto derives its assumptions from this basic observation.

The Communist Manifesto (Engels)

On The Theory of Class struggles in history: The modern bourgeois society that has sprouted from feudal society has not done away with class antagonisms. It has established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of older ones. 2 base classes: bourgeois and proletariat The modern state: a society of the bourgeois

The Communist Manifesto (Marx)

Ergo the demands are: 1) The overthrow capitalism 2) The call for all socialist parties to unite against capitalism 3) The support for a long-term and certain revolution

The Marxist Utopia

Envisions: human freedom as a condition for creative output realized from need The collapse of the division of labor NO division of labor=NO specialists/ alienated laborer The well-organized (planned) industrial machine, liberated from its capitalist overlord, runs with minimal voluntary supervision.

The Marxist Utopia

Thus: distribution requires only moderate restraint by consumer There is plenty for all. There is little government intervention. Crime is abolished, war is obsolete. Ergo: Freedom assumes in a world in which there is no need to make choices in economic or political affairs. The individual is a result of alienation and want.

Withering away of the state

The Communists are further reproached with desiring to abolish countries and nationality. The working men have no country. National differences and antagonisms between peoples are daily more and more vanishing The supremacy of the proletariat will cause them to vanish even faster. Proletariat as the leading class is the nation.

The Appeal of Marxism

Economic factors determine history. If economic factors may be determined, society can reorder itself to suit its purposes. The state is the tool of the oppressor. That the love of country is the love of ones oppressor. Workers in all lands should join against the capitalist oppressor.

The Appeal of Marxism

Marxs Socialism has provided explanation and solution to the misery of the human condition. The appeal however is not for the proletariat but for the frustrated intellectual, politician, inhabitants of woefully poor countries. Inequality of condition is often unmitigated by the equality of opportunity.

The scope of Marxist Thought

Marxism is a philosophy, a system of principles, of laws that regulate the universe. History is a history of class struggle. Evidence: Dialectical materialism Marxism shifts to all aspects of reality. Economics is always central.

The scope of Marxist Thought

All ideologies and institutions are aspects of an underlying superstructure. The superstructure must be in harmony with the predominant economic class which in turn must be consistent with mode of production. The mode of production defines for a society its economic and social relationships. No religion, no state, no god, no due-tosomeone

Marx on other socialisms

Marx & Engels rejected the following: 1) Utopian socialism 2) Christian and clerical socialism 3) Feudal socialism 4) German science and socialism The only true socialism for Marx & Engels is True Socialism True Socialism served reactionary interests.

Marx on other socialisms

Marx holds that socialists and anarchists fall into error of failing to understand the complexity of human processes, particularly the dialectic process. That process is evolutionary and carries change within itself. It is no good for intelligent, well-meaning men to think up rational ideas that may be achieved by agitation or force. (Freedman)

Towards a Long History

CONCLUSION

Stalin and Anarchism

Understanding Marxism
Material Conception of History: History of class struggle Alienation Mode of Production Base/ Superstructure model

Socialism and Anarchism

Anarchism is a far more formidable foe of other forms of socialism. Order is necessary and natural in the dialectic. The proletariat should constitute order; the anarchists reverse the process. Anarchists demand the abolition of any political organization of the State. To destroy both state & working class is failure.

Socialism and Anarchism

Ergo: the current anarchist nature of socialism, if not of communism, is inherited from Proudhon. Marxists who held firmly to socialism as social justice remained faithful to democratic goals and tradition. Those who headed for socialism without democracy with only the industrial base were known as Marxist states. Marxs social justice (pro-democracy) is different from Proudhons social justice (liberation).

Towards a Long History

Our corrupted ideas of Marx is from Stalin. Criticism about the reality of Communism: "Communist ethics make it the highest duty to accept the necessity of acting wickedly. This . . . was the greatest sacrifice the revolution demanded of us. ... This dialectical doctrine has never been published by the theorist in question (Lukacs), but . . . it spread as a secret doctrine until it was finally regarded as the semi-official quintessence of true communism" (p. 46).

References & Suggested Readings

Ahmad, A. ed. (2001). On the National and Colonial Questions selected writings by Marx and Engels, New Delhi, LeftWord Books. Curtis, M. ed. (1961) The Great Political Theories, Volume 1, New York, Avon Books. Freedman, R. (1990). The Marxist System: Economic, Political, and Social Perspectives, New Jersey, Chatham House Publishers Inc. Niemeyer, G. Socialism: Tradition or Aberration?. In The Review of Politics, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Apr., 1972), pp. 251 -254. Ritter, A. (1969). The Political Thought of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Princeton, Princeton University Press. Simon, W. M. (1963) European Positivism in the Nineteenth Century: An Essay in Intellectual History. New York, Cornell University Press. -- History for Utopia: Saint-Simon and the Idea of Progress. In Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jun., 1956), pp. 311-331. Vernon, R. Freedom and Corruption: Proudhon's Federal Principle. In Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Dec., 1981), pp. 775-795. Watkins, F. M. Proudhon and the Theory of Modern Liberalism. In The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science / Revue canadienne d'Economique et de Science politique, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Aug., 1947), pp. 429-435.