jacobin1949
23rd November 2007, 19:36
Anyone hear of massline.org. Its a great site from a anti-Stalinist pro-Maoist point of view by a former member of the RCP. The writings really cover everything- politics ethics philosophy science economics history. I may not agree with everything but I certainly learned a lot.
I personally reccomend his e-books on Mass Line, Marxist Ethics, and Peking Review articles.
http://www.massline.org/ScottH/writings.htm
Heres the table of contents if you want an idea of the depth of his writings.
Scott H.'s Writings
Essays, articles, reviews, etc., on philosophy, economics, politics and other topics,
all from the perspective of revolutionary Marxism (i.e., Marxism-Leninism-Maoism)
This is intended to be a complete list of all my writings, together with links to each item. The list is not yet complete, but I am working on it! I am creating this list primarily for my own convenience, not because I believe my "collected works" are of any special importance. However, there may be others who are curious about my comments on this or that topic, and this list will also help them find the items they are interested in.
Most of my writings are posted on either massline.org or massline.info. Both of these sites contain materials written by me as well as materials written by other people. Massline.info is devoted to the specific topics of the mass line method of revolutionary leadership and having a mass perspective, while massline.org has sections covering many other subject areas, including philosophy, political economy, and politics. Here are the primary links for each subject area:
* Philosophy: http://www.massline.org/Philosophy
* Philosophical doggerel (limericks, clerihews, etc.): http://www.massline.org/PhilosDog
* Political Economy: http://www.massline.org/PolitEcon
* Politics: http://www.massline.org/Politics
* The mass line: http://www.massline.info
To make suggestions, comments or criticisms about this site or any of my writings, please contact me at: [email protected]
Note: Some of the documents and essays below are fairly long and are much easier to read and consider if you print them out first. That will also give you the margins you'll need to write down your criticisms. (I would very much like to hear from you about those criticisms!) Also note that some essays are listed more than once in the subcategories below, since they address more than one topic.
Scott H.
Section 1: PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy - General
* [To be added.]
Philosophy - The Theory of Knowledge (Epistemology)
* "Can We Really Understand the World?" (3/20/89) Discusses questions such as: "Could the world be such that we might not be able to understand how it really works?"
* "Do We Know For Certain that the Earth Goes Around the Sun?" (11/14/97) Opposes "philosophical agnosticism", the view that says we can never know anything (or at least that we can never know anything for sure).
Dialectics
* [To be added.]
Materialism & the Philosophy of Mind
* "On the Analogy Between Mind/Brain and Software/Hardware" (12/4/92) Defends a dialectical materialist version of functionalism.
Philosophy of Science & "Metaphysics"
* "Chopping Onions and Pragmatism" (April 2007) Applying the scientific approach to an everyday task.
o Critical Letter about the above essay, and Scott's response. (April 2007)
* "A Scientific Philosophy of Science: Some Comments on Keith Campbell" (June 1986) Some fundamental points about the nature of science and "metaphysics".
* "The Impossibility of Infinitely Small Particles" (3/5/89) Argues that no physical particle is ever really a "point".
* Review of: Michio Kaku Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension [1994] (9/11/95)
* Review notes by Scott H. of: Robert B. Laughlin, A Different Universe: Reinventing Physics from the Bottom Down [2005] (11/10/06)
* "Mysticism and Modern Physics" (10/11/88) Comments on Fritjof Capra's The Tao of Physics and Ken Wilber's Quantum Questions.
Religion
* Review of Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion [2006] (6/25/07)
* "The 'Higher Criticism' Revisited" (3/22/98) A review of: Charles Pellegrino - Return to Sodom & Gomorrah [1994].
* "On the 'Spiritual Aspect of Reality' and Pantheism" (6/12/02) Letter arguing that even the most abstract forms of religion are unscientific.
Ethics
* An Introduction to the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Class Interest Theory of Ethics, (As of 6/14/07) The beginning portion of a book in progress. (Draft of the first two chapters only, in Microsoft Word format.)
* "The 'Problem of Altruism'" (12/27/93) Opposes the view that "really" there is no such thing as altruism.
* Review of Bob Avakian's "We Need Morality, But Not Traditional Morality" (1/23/96) Includes some comments on Marxist-Leninist ethics in general.
Political Philosophy
* "A Virtual Debate With Gandhi About Non-Violence" (12/11/88) About 35 Gandhi quotations critically analyzed.
* "Are Cops Really That Bad?" (11/24/01) Letter discussing the nature of the police.
* "Social Pressure as a Moral & Political Tool" (6/12/98) Defends the use of social pressure when it advances the cause of the people.
* Excerpt from an unfinished document focusing on people's interests and the scientific method applied to Marxism. (8/23/98) Inspired by a dispute within a circle of revolutionaries in the 1990s over the question of whether or not MLM can properly be considered a science.
* "Why Marxism-Leninism-Maoism is a Science" (2/6/97) Explains why Marxism is properly considered a science.
* "Notes on Notes on Political Economy" (2/25/00) A critique of an RCP document about the errors they made in their "1980s analysis" and their current views on the world economic situation. Focuses on philosophical and methodological issues.
Aesthetics
* [To be added.]
Other Topics in Philosophy
* Philosophical Doggerel Home Page Limericks, clerihews, ditties and other doggerel on philosophic themes.
Section 2: POLITICAL ECONOMY
General
* The Definition of 'Capitalism' (March 2003) A letter to friends.
Capitalist Economic Crises
* An Introductory Explanation of Capitalist Economic Crises (2004) This pamphlet discusses both the underlying and surface contradictions involved in capitalist crises. [The first three parts are now available. More will be added later.]
* "False Lessons from the Great Depression" (7/14/03) A criticism of two main points in Peter Temin's book, Lessons from the Great Depression.
* Letter to Bob Avakian on Imperialist War and Capitalist Economic Cycles (12/2/79).
* "The 'Capital Shortage' Myth: A Dangerous Error in Political Economy" (Jan. 1977).
* "Comments on Sison's 'Contradictions in the World Capitalist System and the Necessity of Socialist Revolution'" (1/23/02) Discussion of Jose Maria Sison's view of the world economic and political situation, as well as a critique of the "General Crisis of Capitalism" thesis.
The Labor Theory of Value
* "Steve Keen on Marxist Economics, & a Mini Essay on the Labor Theory of Value" (9/3/03) A very one-sided review of Steve Keen's Debunking Economics, focusing on the single chapter on Marxist economics, and the labor theory of value in particular. Puts forward the theory that past labor (in the form of tools and machines) can also contribute to surplus value in the current labor process.
o Letter to Frank S. about the labor theory of value (12/8/03) My friend Frank criticized my theory about machines being able to contribute to surplus value and my comments about Say's "Law". This is my response.
o "Additional Comments on Say's 'Law'and the Consequences of Failing to Recognize its Fallaciousness" (1/15/04) A continuation of the above, after a discussion with Frank.
Other Topics in Political Economy
* "Notes on Notes on Political Economy" (2/25/00) A critique of an RCP document about the errors they made in their "1980s analysis" and their current views on the world economic situation.
* "First Notes Towards a Critique of America in Decline" (2/12/99) A review, of sorts, of a major 1984 RCP book on political economy.
* "The Many Types of Capitalist Economic Anarchy" (2/23/83).
Section 3: POLITICS
Politics in General
* "A Virtual Debate With Gandhi About Non-Violence" (12/11/88) About 35 Gandhi quotations together with responses.
* "Social Pressure as a Moral & Political Tool" (6/12/98) Defends the use of social pressure when it advances the cause of the people.
The Capitalist-Imperialist System
* The Definition of 'Capitalism' (March 2003) A letter to friends.
* "Are Cops Really That Bad?" (11/24/01) Letter discussing the nature of the police.
* Review of Oliver Stone's 1986 movie, Platoon (Feb. 1987) Criticizes the liberal view of the Vietnam War.
o A letter criticizing the above review together with my response (4/3/02).
Bourgeois Politics, Elections, etc.
* [To be added.]
The American Revolutionary Movement General
* "Why Marxism-Leninism-Maoism is a Science" (2/6/97) Explains why revolutionary Marxism is properly considered a science.
* "Expertise and the Mass Line" (7/29/02) Letter posted during a discussion on the Progressive Economists News List.
* "Expertise and Vanguard Parties" (7/30/02) Letter responding to a criticism of the item just above. Explains what a vanguard party really is.
* "On the Question of Multiple Revolutionary Parties" (4/11/00) Explores the question of whether more than one revolutionary party is desirable or necessary, and the issue of factions within the party.
* "How Critical Should Revolutionaries Be of Each Other?" (10/21/04)
Building a New Revolutionary Party in the U.S.
* [To be added.]
The Revolutionary Communist Party, USA
* Documents from an early struggle: The Expulsion of Scott H. from the RCP in 1977 - Proof that it doesn't pay to be too enthusiastic about the mass line when you are a member of the RCP!
* "First Notes Towards a Critique of America in Decline" (2/12/99) A review, of sorts, of a major 1984 RCP book on political economy.
* Book chapter: "The Mass Line, Reformist Struggle, & the Revolutionary Goal". This is chapter 19 of my book The Mass Line and the American Revolutionary Movement. This chapter is largely a critique of the RCP's line toward the masses, as expressed in their 1981 Programme (in force until 2001).
* "On the RCP Announcement of their New Programme Project" (11/2/99)
* "How to 'Fake' the Mass Line" (12/13/01) Includes some criticism of the 2001 RCP "draft" programme.
* Debate (of sorts): Between Scott H. and several RCP members/supporters in the spring of 2002 regarding the new RCP programme "draft" and the political line of the RCP. Includes a couple of post-debate exchanges with RCP members about the mass line.
* "Notes on Notes on Political Economy" (2/25/00) A critique of an RCP document about the errors they made in their "1980s analysis" and their current views on the world economic situation.
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (Actually two groups with this name since the organization split in 1999.)
* "Comments on FRSO's View of the Mass Line" (9/10/03) A critique of two FRSO documents presenting and discussing the mass line, and the general political work of the FRSO groups.
* Discussion: Examining FRSO's Line Toward the Masses (3/16/06) A discussion of the line of one of the FRSO groups (the one pushing the "Left Refoundation" idea). This discussion began on a blog maintained by a revolutionary friend, "Celticfire", when an apparent FRSO member or supporter by the name of "Nelson H." posted a criticism of some of my comments on FRSO which appear on massline.info. (See above reference.) This is my reply.
International Politics
* India: Revolutionary Organizations in India (Updated in 2005) A 30 to 35 page examination of the many Mao-influenced revolutionary groups in India, together with some of their organizational history.
* Philippines: "Comments on Sison's 'Contradictions in the World Capitalist System and the Necessity of Socialist Revolution'" (1/23/02) Discussion of Jose Maria Sison's view of the world economic and political situation.
(More to be added later.)
Section 4: MISCELLANEOUS
[To be added.]
MASSLINE.ORG Home Page
I personally reccomend his e-books on Mass Line, Marxist Ethics, and Peking Review articles.
http://www.massline.org/ScottH/writings.htm
Heres the table of contents if you want an idea of the depth of his writings.
Scott H.'s Writings
Essays, articles, reviews, etc., on philosophy, economics, politics and other topics,
all from the perspective of revolutionary Marxism (i.e., Marxism-Leninism-Maoism)
This is intended to be a complete list of all my writings, together with links to each item. The list is not yet complete, but I am working on it! I am creating this list primarily for my own convenience, not because I believe my "collected works" are of any special importance. However, there may be others who are curious about my comments on this or that topic, and this list will also help them find the items they are interested in.
Most of my writings are posted on either massline.org or massline.info. Both of these sites contain materials written by me as well as materials written by other people. Massline.info is devoted to the specific topics of the mass line method of revolutionary leadership and having a mass perspective, while massline.org has sections covering many other subject areas, including philosophy, political economy, and politics. Here are the primary links for each subject area:
* Philosophy: http://www.massline.org/Philosophy
* Philosophical doggerel (limericks, clerihews, etc.): http://www.massline.org/PhilosDog
* Political Economy: http://www.massline.org/PolitEcon
* Politics: http://www.massline.org/Politics
* The mass line: http://www.massline.info
To make suggestions, comments or criticisms about this site or any of my writings, please contact me at: [email protected]
Note: Some of the documents and essays below are fairly long and are much easier to read and consider if you print them out first. That will also give you the margins you'll need to write down your criticisms. (I would very much like to hear from you about those criticisms!) Also note that some essays are listed more than once in the subcategories below, since they address more than one topic.
Scott H.
Section 1: PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy - General
* [To be added.]
Philosophy - The Theory of Knowledge (Epistemology)
* "Can We Really Understand the World?" (3/20/89) Discusses questions such as: "Could the world be such that we might not be able to understand how it really works?"
* "Do We Know For Certain that the Earth Goes Around the Sun?" (11/14/97) Opposes "philosophical agnosticism", the view that says we can never know anything (or at least that we can never know anything for sure).
Dialectics
* [To be added.]
Materialism & the Philosophy of Mind
* "On the Analogy Between Mind/Brain and Software/Hardware" (12/4/92) Defends a dialectical materialist version of functionalism.
Philosophy of Science & "Metaphysics"
* "Chopping Onions and Pragmatism" (April 2007) Applying the scientific approach to an everyday task.
o Critical Letter about the above essay, and Scott's response. (April 2007)
* "A Scientific Philosophy of Science: Some Comments on Keith Campbell" (June 1986) Some fundamental points about the nature of science and "metaphysics".
* "The Impossibility of Infinitely Small Particles" (3/5/89) Argues that no physical particle is ever really a "point".
* Review of: Michio Kaku Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension [1994] (9/11/95)
* Review notes by Scott H. of: Robert B. Laughlin, A Different Universe: Reinventing Physics from the Bottom Down [2005] (11/10/06)
* "Mysticism and Modern Physics" (10/11/88) Comments on Fritjof Capra's The Tao of Physics and Ken Wilber's Quantum Questions.
Religion
* Review of Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion [2006] (6/25/07)
* "The 'Higher Criticism' Revisited" (3/22/98) A review of: Charles Pellegrino - Return to Sodom & Gomorrah [1994].
* "On the 'Spiritual Aspect of Reality' and Pantheism" (6/12/02) Letter arguing that even the most abstract forms of religion are unscientific.
Ethics
* An Introduction to the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Class Interest Theory of Ethics, (As of 6/14/07) The beginning portion of a book in progress. (Draft of the first two chapters only, in Microsoft Word format.)
* "The 'Problem of Altruism'" (12/27/93) Opposes the view that "really" there is no such thing as altruism.
* Review of Bob Avakian's "We Need Morality, But Not Traditional Morality" (1/23/96) Includes some comments on Marxist-Leninist ethics in general.
Political Philosophy
* "A Virtual Debate With Gandhi About Non-Violence" (12/11/88) About 35 Gandhi quotations critically analyzed.
* "Are Cops Really That Bad?" (11/24/01) Letter discussing the nature of the police.
* "Social Pressure as a Moral & Political Tool" (6/12/98) Defends the use of social pressure when it advances the cause of the people.
* Excerpt from an unfinished document focusing on people's interests and the scientific method applied to Marxism. (8/23/98) Inspired by a dispute within a circle of revolutionaries in the 1990s over the question of whether or not MLM can properly be considered a science.
* "Why Marxism-Leninism-Maoism is a Science" (2/6/97) Explains why Marxism is properly considered a science.
* "Notes on Notes on Political Economy" (2/25/00) A critique of an RCP document about the errors they made in their "1980s analysis" and their current views on the world economic situation. Focuses on philosophical and methodological issues.
Aesthetics
* [To be added.]
Other Topics in Philosophy
* Philosophical Doggerel Home Page Limericks, clerihews, ditties and other doggerel on philosophic themes.
Section 2: POLITICAL ECONOMY
General
* The Definition of 'Capitalism' (March 2003) A letter to friends.
Capitalist Economic Crises
* An Introductory Explanation of Capitalist Economic Crises (2004) This pamphlet discusses both the underlying and surface contradictions involved in capitalist crises. [The first three parts are now available. More will be added later.]
* "False Lessons from the Great Depression" (7/14/03) A criticism of two main points in Peter Temin's book, Lessons from the Great Depression.
* Letter to Bob Avakian on Imperialist War and Capitalist Economic Cycles (12/2/79).
* "The 'Capital Shortage' Myth: A Dangerous Error in Political Economy" (Jan. 1977).
* "Comments on Sison's 'Contradictions in the World Capitalist System and the Necessity of Socialist Revolution'" (1/23/02) Discussion of Jose Maria Sison's view of the world economic and political situation, as well as a critique of the "General Crisis of Capitalism" thesis.
The Labor Theory of Value
* "Steve Keen on Marxist Economics, & a Mini Essay on the Labor Theory of Value" (9/3/03) A very one-sided review of Steve Keen's Debunking Economics, focusing on the single chapter on Marxist economics, and the labor theory of value in particular. Puts forward the theory that past labor (in the form of tools and machines) can also contribute to surplus value in the current labor process.
o Letter to Frank S. about the labor theory of value (12/8/03) My friend Frank criticized my theory about machines being able to contribute to surplus value and my comments about Say's "Law". This is my response.
o "Additional Comments on Say's 'Law'and the Consequences of Failing to Recognize its Fallaciousness" (1/15/04) A continuation of the above, after a discussion with Frank.
Other Topics in Political Economy
* "Notes on Notes on Political Economy" (2/25/00) A critique of an RCP document about the errors they made in their "1980s analysis" and their current views on the world economic situation.
* "First Notes Towards a Critique of America in Decline" (2/12/99) A review, of sorts, of a major 1984 RCP book on political economy.
* "The Many Types of Capitalist Economic Anarchy" (2/23/83).
Section 3: POLITICS
Politics in General
* "A Virtual Debate With Gandhi About Non-Violence" (12/11/88) About 35 Gandhi quotations together with responses.
* "Social Pressure as a Moral & Political Tool" (6/12/98) Defends the use of social pressure when it advances the cause of the people.
The Capitalist-Imperialist System
* The Definition of 'Capitalism' (March 2003) A letter to friends.
* "Are Cops Really That Bad?" (11/24/01) Letter discussing the nature of the police.
* Review of Oliver Stone's 1986 movie, Platoon (Feb. 1987) Criticizes the liberal view of the Vietnam War.
o A letter criticizing the above review together with my response (4/3/02).
Bourgeois Politics, Elections, etc.
* [To be added.]
The American Revolutionary Movement General
* "Why Marxism-Leninism-Maoism is a Science" (2/6/97) Explains why revolutionary Marxism is properly considered a science.
* "Expertise and the Mass Line" (7/29/02) Letter posted during a discussion on the Progressive Economists News List.
* "Expertise and Vanguard Parties" (7/30/02) Letter responding to a criticism of the item just above. Explains what a vanguard party really is.
* "On the Question of Multiple Revolutionary Parties" (4/11/00) Explores the question of whether more than one revolutionary party is desirable or necessary, and the issue of factions within the party.
* "How Critical Should Revolutionaries Be of Each Other?" (10/21/04)
Building a New Revolutionary Party in the U.S.
* [To be added.]
The Revolutionary Communist Party, USA
* Documents from an early struggle: The Expulsion of Scott H. from the RCP in 1977 - Proof that it doesn't pay to be too enthusiastic about the mass line when you are a member of the RCP!
* "First Notes Towards a Critique of America in Decline" (2/12/99) A review, of sorts, of a major 1984 RCP book on political economy.
* Book chapter: "The Mass Line, Reformist Struggle, & the Revolutionary Goal". This is chapter 19 of my book The Mass Line and the American Revolutionary Movement. This chapter is largely a critique of the RCP's line toward the masses, as expressed in their 1981 Programme (in force until 2001).
* "On the RCP Announcement of their New Programme Project" (11/2/99)
* "How to 'Fake' the Mass Line" (12/13/01) Includes some criticism of the 2001 RCP "draft" programme.
* Debate (of sorts): Between Scott H. and several RCP members/supporters in the spring of 2002 regarding the new RCP programme "draft" and the political line of the RCP. Includes a couple of post-debate exchanges with RCP members about the mass line.
* "Notes on Notes on Political Economy" (2/25/00) A critique of an RCP document about the errors they made in their "1980s analysis" and their current views on the world economic situation.
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (Actually two groups with this name since the organization split in 1999.)
* "Comments on FRSO's View of the Mass Line" (9/10/03) A critique of two FRSO documents presenting and discussing the mass line, and the general political work of the FRSO groups.
* Discussion: Examining FRSO's Line Toward the Masses (3/16/06) A discussion of the line of one of the FRSO groups (the one pushing the "Left Refoundation" idea). This discussion began on a blog maintained by a revolutionary friend, "Celticfire", when an apparent FRSO member or supporter by the name of "Nelson H." posted a criticism of some of my comments on FRSO which appear on massline.info. (See above reference.) This is my reply.
International Politics
* India: Revolutionary Organizations in India (Updated in 2005) A 30 to 35 page examination of the many Mao-influenced revolutionary groups in India, together with some of their organizational history.
* Philippines: "Comments on Sison's 'Contradictions in the World Capitalist System and the Necessity of Socialist Revolution'" (1/23/02) Discussion of Jose Maria Sison's view of the world economic and political situation.
(More to be added later.)
Section 4: MISCELLANEOUS
[To be added.]
MASSLINE.ORG Home Page