From: clyder@GN.APC.ORG
Date: Tue Oct 31 2006 - 03:54:02 EST
In english the book is Towards a New Socialism, Spokesman books, In German 'Alternativen aus dem Rechner', Papya Rossa On the web http://www.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/ Quoting Dogan Goecmen <Dogangoecmen@AOL.COM>: > > Thank you very much for pointing that out to me. But may I ask for some more > > detail on the rerefence? Thank you. > > Dogan > > In einer eMail vom 31.10.2006 09:37:38 Westeuropäische Normalzeit schreibt > clyder@GN.APC.ORG: > > Visiting New Lanark was a great inspiration to me in the late > 1980s, encouraging me to work with Allin on our book Towards a New > Socialism, > which contains strong owenite themes. > > Quoting Dogan Goecmen <Dogangoecmen@AOL.COM>: > > > > > Robert Owen (1771 – 1858) was a contemporary of G.W.F. Hegel. He > saw > Karl > > > > Marx launching the Communist Manifesto in 1848 in London. Owen’s > name is > > well > > known among academics, but he is hardly researched. His work is subject > to > > discussions merely in socialist circles. However, further research would > > show how > > relevant his work is. He is rich in ideas about how to solve modern > social > > problems and how to overcome environmental crises by reorganising > production > > > > and consumption. > > Owen was a self-taught and self-made man. He received only a primary > > education in Newtown (County Powys) in Wales and an apprenticeship in > > London. But he > > developed a good grasp of the sophisticated questions of social, moral > and > > political philosophy, and political economy. He was influenced mainly by > > 18th > > century French philosophers, particularly by P.H.T. d’Holbach. But > the > > primary source of his knowledge was the conditions of the working class > in > > Britain. > > Therefore, all his intellectual and political activities, theoretical and > > practical knowledge were devoted to improving the conditions of the > working > > > > class. > > Owen wanted to change the world and open up a new epoch in the history of > > humanity. His main thesis was that throughout history humanity had been > > acted > > upon by circumstance. But it was time now that human beings acted upon > their > > > > circumstances. All his experiments and works contain in their titles the > > expression ‘new’. His experiment in New Lanark in Scotland > (1800-1825), > > though in > > many senses revolutionary, was still an experiment to show how the profit > > of > > > > the owners of the means of production could be improved by improving the > > conditions of the working class. The only experiment which might be > > classified as > > socialist was New Harmony between 1825 and 1829 in Indiana in the USA. In > all > > > > his experiments he paid particular attention to the education of > children > > and in his educational experiments he combined theory and practice. After > > the > > failure of his experiment in Indiana he was involved in publishing > > periodicals. He introduced the term ‘socialist’ in social and > > political > > philosophy. > > Since Friedrich Engels’ distinction between utopian and scientific > > socialism, Owen is seen as a utopian socialist. But he was not a utopian > > in > > the sense > > that he was naïve and hoping to change the world by experimenting with > > small-scale socialist settlements. With his experiments he wanted to > > stimulate the > > imagination, to show practically that production can be organised on the > > principle of meeting peoples’ needs and that a new society can be > > established > > throughout the world on the principle of internationalism. He was aware > of > > the > > fact that this would require huge effort. If he was a utopian, then, it > was > > in > > the sense that he thought that this effort could be made by capitalists, > who > > > > were interested merely in improving their profit, and by statesmen who > were > > > > interested primarily in enlarging their powers and empires. But having > > seized > > power, even Lenin suggested that one must return now to Owen to learn > how to > > > > build a socialist society or in Owen’s words a New Moral World. > > Dogan Gocmen > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.
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