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View Full Version : 'Some Ideological Obstacles to Social Change to Socialism'



whichfinder
17th October 2015, 16:22
Date: Sunday, 1 November at 3pm

Venue: The Socialist Party's premises, 52 Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UN

Directions: About four minutes walk from Clapham North tube on the Northern line and three minutes walk from Clapham High Street station on the circular overground line

A talk by Yehudi Webster (Guest speaker)

Yehudi Webster is a associate professor of sociology at California State University, Los Angeles. He is currently teaching and lecturing at Lodz University under the auspices of the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program. His topic will be New Approaches to Black History.

Professor Webster joined California State L.A. faculty in 1984. He received a M.S. in political economy from Warsaw University, Poland, an M.A. in Soviet studies from the University of London, England, and a Ph.D. in sociology from Warwick University, England.

His interests and specialisations include philosophy, reasoning in social sciences, critical thinking, gender, racial, ethnic, and human perspectives on society. He has delivered numerous keynote addresses and conducted international workshops on these subjects. He is also the author of two books: Against the Multicultural Agenda: A Critical Thinking Alternative (1997) and The Racialization of America (1992).

Yehudi will address the claims that 'human nature', scarce natural resources, the necessity of money for rational allocation of resources, the collapse of the Soviet 'experiment', and the un-avoidability of violence for governance, all make socialism impossible or Utopian.

Free admission and refreshments

http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/some-ideological-obstacles-social-change-socialism-head-office

whichfinder
27th October 2015, 12:59
This talk is scheduled for this coming Sunday, 1 November at 3pm. Address and directions in OP.

Political movement and organisation to change the socio-economic order, to de-commodify goods and end class conflict, are stalled by particular beliefs.

Four such beliefs, systematically disseminated in educational institutions and media, may be cited, as follows:

1. Human nature is innately flawed, that human beings are evil, sinful, irrational and not in control of their fate.

2. There is an indomitable scarcity of natural resources that necessitate markets for labour, goods and capital.

3. Violence is ineradicable, and a natural feature of governance.

4. The Soviet experience proves that capitalist commodity production cannot be eradicated.

These beliefs populate, indeed, dominate, the intellectual world and thereby freeze the social order. They are ideological obstacles to the change into a classless, stateless, wageless, moneyless society based on the common ownership of the means of life.

Yehudi Webster holds degrees from British and Polish universities; he has also published on critical thinking and social problems. His works are easily accessed on the internet.

Free admission and refreshments

http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/some-ideological-obstacles-social-change-socialism-head-office

whichfinder
27th November 2015, 20:09
An audio recording of this recent talk by Yehudi Webster can be heard on the SPGB's website:

http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/audio/some-ideological-obstacles-societal-transformation