Dean
15th March 2006, 17:48
I once discussed the term 'Marxism' with Noam Chomsky, and he replied with the following:
"What I don't like about it is the personalization. Interesting ideas are virtually always a collective enterprise. Early Marx, for example, draws very extensively from the Enlightenment and Romantic thought of the period. No criticism. It's just gives the wrong impression to personalize these things, I think."
Also, Marx did claim that he was not a "marxist" and Lenin famously stated that the individual should not be lauded; it is the collective that acts to change things.
That said, is it not apparent that arguing over Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, Mao, Guevara, Castro, etc. in regards to their character is somewhat asinine? Is it not more important, and indeed imperitive, that we recognize these flawed for what they were - people - and further recognize that we ought to learn from their mistakes instead of covering them up?
In the bible, Jesus protects the Harlot with the words "let him who has no sins cast the first stone." This states a striking message about humanity, that is that we are all dynamic and with flaws. Ghandi, for instance, supported Hitler at times. Most of our Idols are facades put up by their state at the time or sometimes later, and we should recognize that they may have done some awful things as well as the great deeds they did.
"What I don't like about it is the personalization. Interesting ideas are virtually always a collective enterprise. Early Marx, for example, draws very extensively from the Enlightenment and Romantic thought of the period. No criticism. It's just gives the wrong impression to personalize these things, I think."
Also, Marx did claim that he was not a "marxist" and Lenin famously stated that the individual should not be lauded; it is the collective that acts to change things.
That said, is it not apparent that arguing over Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, Mao, Guevara, Castro, etc. in regards to their character is somewhat asinine? Is it not more important, and indeed imperitive, that we recognize these flawed for what they were - people - and further recognize that we ought to learn from their mistakes instead of covering them up?
In the bible, Jesus protects the Harlot with the words "let him who has no sins cast the first stone." This states a striking message about humanity, that is that we are all dynamic and with flaws. Ghandi, for instance, supported Hitler at times. Most of our Idols are facades put up by their state at the time or sometimes later, and we should recognize that they may have done some awful things as well as the great deeds they did.