Revolution67
28th February 2006, 11:03
This article has been written by a left leaning Indian Economist, Dr. Bharat Jhunjhunwala. The original article can be found here:
http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/04oct04/edit.htm#5
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In his younger days Karl Marx wrote in Towards the Critique Hegel’s Phi-losophy of Law, "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, as it is the spirit of spiritless conditions. It is the opium of the people." This last statement has been literally observed by the communists, Indian included, by them opposing all spiritual and religious activities. But this opposition is wrongly conceived. Marxism is a highly spiritual philosophy. Marx opposed that insensitive religion which gave sanction to the suppression of humanness. He was not opposed to spiritualism.
Marx’s thinking becomes clear in his Excerpt-Notes of 1844. "Why must private property end up in money?" he asks; and replies, "Because men making exchanges do not relate to each other as men, things lose the significance of being human…" In pre-capitalist societies man had direct relationship with his production and the user of his produce. Market, money and capitalism has broken this direct relationship and converted production into an impersonal machine. We have a direct and positive relationship with the radish grown in the kitchen garden but not with one bought from the market. A mother affirms her direct and loving relation with her daughter in stitching a frock for her. Such love is absent from the frock stitched for the market. Marx found that there was no place for such human relationships in capitalism. Relationships between human beings were determined by money rather than love for each other. Thus Marx writes in Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts: The market "alienates his spiritual nature, his human essence, from his own body…" Note the explicit use of the word ‘spiritual nature’ of man.
While buying and selling in the market the capitalist connected with the money rather than with the customer. The milkman is not connected with the user of the milk. He is not concerned that the adulterated milk supplied by him is harmful for the child. The capitalist system legitimizes such inhuman exchange between human beings and is, therefore, despicable. Marx writes in Manuscripts: "The worker does not affirm himself but denies himself, feels miserable and unhappy, develops no free physical and mental energy but mortifies his flesh and ruins his mind. (The alien character of work done for money) is obvious from the fact that as soon as no physical or other pressure exists, labour is avoided like the plague."
Marx opposed that religion which sanctified such inhuman relationships. In Towards a Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Law he writes, "Religion is the generalized theory of this world, its moral sanction and justification." Marx called religion opium of the people because it sanctified anti-spiritual society. Marx wanted to establish a loving spiritual society and found that religion, as it existed, was an obstruction. Marx opposed inhuman religion, not spiritualism.
Next, Marx analyzed that only the oppressed in the present system would be interested in transforming this inhuman state of affairs. These were the workers who had "nothing to lose but their chains". He called upon the workers to rise and take the reins of the society in their own hands as a first step toward the establishment of a human and spiritual society. It was necessary to establish a Dictatorship of the Proletariat for some time to prevent the resurgence of the ruling classes who would be dispossessed in the process. The final objective, however, continued to be the emancipation or spiritualization or reestablishment of the loving nature of both the capitalist and the working classes.
Marx’s formula can be summed up as follows: Religion gives sanction to capitalism. Capitalism rests on money, markets and private property. In order to overthrow private property and the market, therefore, it is necessary to overthrow religion. Thus, religion is the opium of the people.
We have seen, however, that even more inhuman societies were established in Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea and other communist countries. The roots of this degeneration lie in Marx’s thinking even though his heart was in the right place. The inhumanness of the market results not from money or private property but from the negation of one’s inner self. An artist enjoys making a painting even though he is painting for the market. A scientist enjoys doing research even though he is working for wages.
A bonded labour may be producing for the Zamindar with whom he has a direct connection but he may be unhappy. It can be seen that many people are entirely happy producing for the market while others are entirely unhappy. The roots of alienation and inhumanness lie not in the market but in the negation of the inner self. When a work is in tune with one’s inner self then a person is happy irrespective of whether he is working for money or has a direct relationship with the user. Marx correctly analyzed that the existing capitalist system was inhuman and anti-spiritual. But he wrongly determined the roots of this alienation in the market while it actually lay in the negation of the inner self. The communist leaders ignored the spiritual basis of Marxism and adopted his politics of Dictatorship of the Proletariat. The result was that communist governments routinely suppressed the inner self of their people and created an even more inhuman society than the capitalism that they replaced.
Many religious gurus are present amongst us today who oppose the inhumanness of the market system. They are Marxist in essence. But the communist parties oppose them in the name of religion. This is contra Marxism.
Alas! Such degeneration is found in all thoughts. Hindus forcibly made sati out of widows. Thieves and dacoits worship the Devi and receive blessings from the pujari. Christians launched crusades in the name of religion and Muslims are becoming terrorists. The degeneration that we see in the communist is, therefore, equally to be seen in various other thoughts of the day.
It is commonplace for both sides to compare their own ‘pure’ theory with the degenerate practice of the other. The religious people deride the communist for the atrocities committed by their Dictatorship of the Proletariat. The communists deride the godmen for befooling the people by promising them heaven in the afterlife. This will not do. Both communism and religion have degenerated and have to be cleansed. The comparison, if at all, should be made between the pure theories of the two sides or between their practices. It is time for both to understand that the theory of religion as well as communism is entirely spiritual and human. Both sides must cleanse the degeneration in their own practice rather than attacking the other.
http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/04oct04/edit.htm#5
************************************************** ******************
************************************************** ******************
************************************************** ******************
In his younger days Karl Marx wrote in Towards the Critique Hegel’s Phi-losophy of Law, "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, as it is the spirit of spiritless conditions. It is the opium of the people." This last statement has been literally observed by the communists, Indian included, by them opposing all spiritual and religious activities. But this opposition is wrongly conceived. Marxism is a highly spiritual philosophy. Marx opposed that insensitive religion which gave sanction to the suppression of humanness. He was not opposed to spiritualism.
Marx’s thinking becomes clear in his Excerpt-Notes of 1844. "Why must private property end up in money?" he asks; and replies, "Because men making exchanges do not relate to each other as men, things lose the significance of being human…" In pre-capitalist societies man had direct relationship with his production and the user of his produce. Market, money and capitalism has broken this direct relationship and converted production into an impersonal machine. We have a direct and positive relationship with the radish grown in the kitchen garden but not with one bought from the market. A mother affirms her direct and loving relation with her daughter in stitching a frock for her. Such love is absent from the frock stitched for the market. Marx found that there was no place for such human relationships in capitalism. Relationships between human beings were determined by money rather than love for each other. Thus Marx writes in Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts: The market "alienates his spiritual nature, his human essence, from his own body…" Note the explicit use of the word ‘spiritual nature’ of man.
While buying and selling in the market the capitalist connected with the money rather than with the customer. The milkman is not connected with the user of the milk. He is not concerned that the adulterated milk supplied by him is harmful for the child. The capitalist system legitimizes such inhuman exchange between human beings and is, therefore, despicable. Marx writes in Manuscripts: "The worker does not affirm himself but denies himself, feels miserable and unhappy, develops no free physical and mental energy but mortifies his flesh and ruins his mind. (The alien character of work done for money) is obvious from the fact that as soon as no physical or other pressure exists, labour is avoided like the plague."
Marx opposed that religion which sanctified such inhuman relationships. In Towards a Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Law he writes, "Religion is the generalized theory of this world, its moral sanction and justification." Marx called religion opium of the people because it sanctified anti-spiritual society. Marx wanted to establish a loving spiritual society and found that religion, as it existed, was an obstruction. Marx opposed inhuman religion, not spiritualism.
Next, Marx analyzed that only the oppressed in the present system would be interested in transforming this inhuman state of affairs. These were the workers who had "nothing to lose but their chains". He called upon the workers to rise and take the reins of the society in their own hands as a first step toward the establishment of a human and spiritual society. It was necessary to establish a Dictatorship of the Proletariat for some time to prevent the resurgence of the ruling classes who would be dispossessed in the process. The final objective, however, continued to be the emancipation or spiritualization or reestablishment of the loving nature of both the capitalist and the working classes.
Marx’s formula can be summed up as follows: Religion gives sanction to capitalism. Capitalism rests on money, markets and private property. In order to overthrow private property and the market, therefore, it is necessary to overthrow religion. Thus, religion is the opium of the people.
We have seen, however, that even more inhuman societies were established in Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea and other communist countries. The roots of this degeneration lie in Marx’s thinking even though his heart was in the right place. The inhumanness of the market results not from money or private property but from the negation of one’s inner self. An artist enjoys making a painting even though he is painting for the market. A scientist enjoys doing research even though he is working for wages.
A bonded labour may be producing for the Zamindar with whom he has a direct connection but he may be unhappy. It can be seen that many people are entirely happy producing for the market while others are entirely unhappy. The roots of alienation and inhumanness lie not in the market but in the negation of the inner self. When a work is in tune with one’s inner self then a person is happy irrespective of whether he is working for money or has a direct relationship with the user. Marx correctly analyzed that the existing capitalist system was inhuman and anti-spiritual. But he wrongly determined the roots of this alienation in the market while it actually lay in the negation of the inner self. The communist leaders ignored the spiritual basis of Marxism and adopted his politics of Dictatorship of the Proletariat. The result was that communist governments routinely suppressed the inner self of their people and created an even more inhuman society than the capitalism that they replaced.
Many religious gurus are present amongst us today who oppose the inhumanness of the market system. They are Marxist in essence. But the communist parties oppose them in the name of religion. This is contra Marxism.
Alas! Such degeneration is found in all thoughts. Hindus forcibly made sati out of widows. Thieves and dacoits worship the Devi and receive blessings from the pujari. Christians launched crusades in the name of religion and Muslims are becoming terrorists. The degeneration that we see in the communist is, therefore, equally to be seen in various other thoughts of the day.
It is commonplace for both sides to compare their own ‘pure’ theory with the degenerate practice of the other. The religious people deride the communist for the atrocities committed by their Dictatorship of the Proletariat. The communists deride the godmen for befooling the people by promising them heaven in the afterlife. This will not do. Both communism and religion have degenerated and have to be cleansed. The comparison, if at all, should be made between the pure theories of the two sides or between their practices. It is time for both to understand that the theory of religion as well as communism is entirely spiritual and human. Both sides must cleanse the degeneration in their own practice rather than attacking the other.