From: clyder@GN.APC.ORG
Date: Tue Oct 31 2006 - 04:46:33 EST
If any list members are visiting Scotland they could do worse than to come and see New Lanark which is beautifully preserved and has several museums devoted to the life and legacy of Robert Owen. I would be glad to show you round if you come. Paul 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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