As Marxists, what are we supposed to do?

[Elysian]

What are we supposed to do, aside from fighting for workers rights etc.? Since Marxism is based on historical materialism, there couldnt be any purpose as such. Are we supposed to focus entirely on material things, since everything else is an illusion?

[RGacky3]

This is such a confused question.

1. Historical materialism is not ontological materialism i.e. it has nothing to do with metaphysics, you can focus on what every you want.

2. Historical materialism is only a method of understanding history, and infact is a way of understanding a specific aspect of history.

3. The purpose of Marxism is understanding how Capitalism works and how class systems work, thats IT, any further thing you want to do with that understanding is up to you, you do whatever the hell you want.

[Искра]

We should listen to Hellhammer and swing the axe.

[Zukunftsmusik]

You confuse marxism with religion and life stances. Marxism doesn't give you any purpose and it's not supposed to.

So I quote this post just for you to read it again, because it sums it up perfectly:


This is such a confused question.

1. Historical materialism is not ontological materialism i.e. it has nothing to do with metaphysics, you can focus on what every you want.

2. Historical materialism is only a method of understanding history, and infact is a way of understanding a specific aspect of history.

3. The purpose of Marxism is understanding how Capitalism works and how class systems work, thats IT, any further thing you want to do with that understanding is up to you, you do whatever the hell you want.

[Book O'Dead]

What are we supposed to do, aside from fighting for workers rights etc.? Since Marxism is based on historical materialism, there couldnt be any purpose as such. Are we supposed to focus entirely on material things, since everything else is an illusion?

One way of looking at it is that even material things become an "illusion" through which we filter our true external experience. Probably that topic belongs elsewhere, as in under the category of the Marxian theory of alienation.

But as to "what should a Marxist do?", which falls under the category of "What is to be Done?" (just kidding, folks!), I'd say that the primary task of an optimistic, militant Marxist presently is to serve as conduit to the raising of class consciousness by exactly what you mention above: fighting for "worker's rights, etc." (what the "etc" implies is anyone's guess).

"Workers' rights" is a good thing. But only if it implies that we, the working class, through our democratic revolutionary organizations impose our dictatorship over society by taking possession of the industries of the land and the sea and thus deprive the capitalist class of their property rights, collective or individual.

Marx was right when he pointed out that the workers
"ought to understand that, with all the miseries it imposes upon them, the present system simultaneously engenders the material conditions and the social forms necessary for an economical reconstruction of society. Instead of the conservative motto: “A fair day's wage for a fair day's work!” they ought to inscribe on their banner the revolutionary watchword: “Abolition of the wages system!"

So there is our task, Elysian: To convince workers of the above proposition.