From: gerald_a_levy (gerald_a_levy@msn.com)
Date: Tue Mar 11 2003 - 18:57:37 EST
Re [8574]: > Re: [OPE-L:8460] Re: Socialism and War > Although I know that many, if not most contributors > to the list do not consider themselves Marxist, those > who do must consider the 11th thesis. There are eighty (80) members of OPE-L -- all but two (2) -- by my reckoning -- consider themselves to be Marxists. All of us, I think, recognize the importance of praxis. What the anonymous contributor may not recognize, however, is the extent to which listmembers have been politically active during the current crisis. Indeed, I think that political activism has been the major reason why the quantity of posts and quantity of listmembers participating in discussions has dropped in recent weeks. It should also be remembered that we are _not_ a revolutionary party -- we are an Internet mailing list. Within that context, collective projects and statements are possible but the diversity of membership on the list means that achieving consensus is by no means a quick and easy process. We have begun to take modest steps in this direction. Finally, I think it would be pretentious and idealistic for us collectively to endeavor to provide "a" unified analysis of the current period. We can, however, strive to deepen our comprehension of the current period through the exchange of perspectives and in so doing sharpen our analysis. I think we understand that actual economic facts are required for this effort, but so is clarity on the underlying theoretical issues. I also believe that our discussion itself can be a service to activists both within OPE-L and outside of our list. In solidarity, Jerry > At the very least, it would seem that the time has > come for those who are capable of providing such an > account agree to collectively try to devise a theory to > help those directly engaged in the current struggle. > This means considering not only abstruse theoretical > issues but actual economic facts. As things now stand, it > would appear that it will be some time before political > economists can justifiably stand above the fray. I want > to stress that the only way that a contribution can be > made by intellectuals is collectively. In order to act together > they must reason together. I would argue that any one > who considers themselves a Marxist will recognize this > and act accordingly.
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