The following is excerpted from a message I sent on August 24. I believe
the points made below remain important and valid. -- Jerry
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Subject: Outline project
<snip>
1) For this project to work we will have to:
* challenge our own preconceptions;
* be willing to really "listen" to each other intellectually and in
good faith;
* for those of you who have written previously on a topic, you must not
allow a perceived need to defend past positions to prevent you (and us)
from re-thinking those positions and moving forward;
* there must be no hidden agendas;
* we must deal with each other as comrades and equals;
* past allegiances and antagonisms must not be allowed to interfere
with the work of this group.
In addition to the above, a sense of humor, an attention to group dynamics,
and a constant focus on keeping the project moving forward, are all
important. Furthermore, we must avoid long textual debates on Marx's
intentions and secondary literature. We must keep our focus on trying to
identify and logically connect and sequence those real aspects of
capitalism that our theory does not explain adequately.