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    B Ollman Why Dialectics Why Now

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    B Ollman Why Dialectics Why Now

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    Dance of the Dialectic Steps in Marx's Method BERTELL OLLMAN ‘We must force the “frozen sircumstancesto dance bysinging to them ther own melody” karl Marx, “Toward the Crtgue of Hes Philosophy of Lan” aon by the Ra of tn tlie erty one ‘treed ‘Mantra the Unt St of mein 2rd ona re ape ry fang Cling in ao Pate tna onal Dine sein Ma method Bl tan ‘te egal ens doe teva a pe) rat bakpe) “Mth 2 Cates, Deal tin, ‘on cae Shar ease a. the forms of palit ination and practices and the dominant econo sls heteen the sate and the mode of production, between the etal ope tis of the sate and the ideology in which they are rationalize, eta, We sre alin. a position 1 grasp the connection Betcen the sum of these el ‘ions aken a ongoing processes andthe expt system in which they are found. deed restatement of he theory ofthe sate hat brings out he ae ‘hye by Mars’ methodology mus be et for another ime. Hee ha lin ‘ed ysl touting this method sna simply caring se rom whathasben sid itshould ao be evden that Mary methadis poe coniya meansof understanding histheteal statements but of amending tem to ake secant of developments that have occurted sine hist The wor ings ofthe sor proessthat make up ein cpitalis mst he reas tnd whatever changes found incorporate nto the meaning hi covering concepts. What segue (and has bee forse i) a new inl "ecomtructon af he concrete ttal one that blancs ieee for Marr's ‘wrtings with an equally healthy respect forte reset of moder haar, incding non-Marsists. As with Marx's ow efor ts practical ees wl depend chit howe well we manage to captare the strctredinterdepen dence of apa within vas part Mari that he wanted wo ee “te frzen circunstanceste dane by singing thera tei own nly” (3, 3)-Weshould pot sim for anythin es. Notes cnc ut ops oranda evans aap ae ‘Tite nea he al Wa oa Thc er nung ee wt fay nt we Kado stint occ t e nptan iene nee ed CHAPTER 9 Why Dialectics? Why Now? or, How to Study the Communist Future Inside the Capitalist Present ‘The commons, of cours was the land owned by everyone inthe village. By Uhelate Middle Ages eal lords were liming this anda thelr wen pate property In univers today we an discern to opposing Kinds of schol Ship that eich stain te people wh ela goose rom of the commons {Goo rom Of the Commons Stade” or GFOC Tor short aad ht which ‘tudes thow who sel he conmonons rn under the pose (Commons from ‘Under the Goose Studs” or CFUG for short Ifthe "monnstresm in prac ‘ical every discipline consists almost entirely ofthe forme, Marxism ou? leading example ofthe tier Bat wera cing sen slags from off he sommmansi reac simple matte you only haveto beter to pen your ee, and wooak se {ng omeone sea the commons from under the goe no er hen oe ‘ow (Rusa today apostle exception) Here, the hes complished on ‘radalythe pean actingisafen npn forsomcone da forces uses Soares and ideology. n short reangizeacase of CFUGone aso gasp The iguerperoe andthe onger tine th aes far iw come cope. = ot a bu nothing tht we stay more portant Hence—and no ater ‘shuthuppene nthe Soviet Union ain Chiso—Marxsm il continetobe ssevan unl weredaim the commons fom those who stl it fom usand who fro hping themselves to with impunity right up this moment. ‘Tost how dicts rasp ha bigger pete was rece brout hom to an when a group of astronomers anounced that they had incovered what they called the "Grct Ateator” Thi huge stuctatecosposed OF ay falas that iseertng svong atiacton on our galas and therefor on oat folie sysiem and onthe planet on which we ve. When qustoned 3 why ontethings big was not dcovered eli, one of the etonomr Fes that ‘versie was epost del: These scent had acelin ‘on is parts that they coulda ee what the) were parts of ‘Captain higestrctre very sim tthe Grest rat thas ar effet on everthing gingon ine buts bigand so miner, that ee ce In eaptalos the sytem consis of a complex st of elton Teweenall people theiatvits particu mate prodton) and ros. sc Bt hi tteraction so evolving, so te stem inde the devo ‘ent ofthis intracion overtime stetching hack is arigns and forward to srhsteveritis becoming, The problem peopl haven cing opt then tnd recognizing inancesf GFOC Stain when thy oscur_—coaies ro the “teal gaping cumple acon tare doing tho seryand on this, ‘None il dena cure that verythngin soc elated in some vy 1nd thatthe whole of hiss changing oan in some way and at some pe Yet ‘most peopl ty make sens of what going on by vewingone pat fsx yata tine, oliting and separating it fom theres aad Ueting it as stati ‘The connetionsleeween sich party ike heir el hisory and potenti or farther development, ate considered external to what eich one relly is and thereforenot ential ts full or even adequate understanding of nyo hem. ‘As rel, ooking for these connections and thse history becomes more ‘ica than tae wo be They ate et for aor et out completely and portant apts of them are msl distorted ovine. Ws what might be fled the Humpey Dumpty problem. Aer tefl was ao nly extreme? ado path if poor Humpty tgeter again ven toner they fi This what happens whenever dhe pieces oF our ever experienc are taken a existing separate rom thet sail and hora contexts, whenever the pat is given an ontlogal tats indepencent ofthe whol. ‘Thealeraive the alec aerate to star by aking the whole agen, ‘0 thatthe interconnections and changes that make ap the whole are vewe at inseparale rom what anything inter to sbeng and therefore cent to. fll understanding of Inthe istry of ea, this has Be called the plosophy of internal retin” No ae fact ave ben iatoduced Weave r Why Dit Why Now? 57 ony tecogize the complex relations ad changes that everyone admits to engin the wood aay tht hight rather than dismiss or minimizes {hema ivestating any problem. The word of independent and eseatlly {Tel"thing hs been tplaed in our thinking by a word of “proceses in ‘eins of mutual depend.” This the fist tepin thinking ictal Bot weil don't know anything speci aboot hee rations. Tmorde to draw clover tothe abject of study the et ep to abstract ou sh paternsin which most change and interaction out. Alot ofthe spi ied worry associ wi dalctice—"enntadction,”-quanty-qalty ‘hange“inerpenetation of polar opposite’ “negation a the asaton”— ‘Seamcerned wth histo Retin sta patens inthe way things change fd interact these aegis also serve as ways of organizing for purpose of ‘Bolt andingury whatever titer embrace With here. we canst the particular conditions, event and pelea hat concern us in wy tha vr loess hw te whole present inthe pat how it eps to stre Fane the prt upping it witha fcation a sense anda dvction, Lats, what ‘Sltred aur the part(s used odsepen our understanding ofthe whole, owt function, w is developed, bd where is tendng Both mais {hd pts dipliy this alec elation “What scaled ils mtu” might be broken down no sic womens Thereisan ontological one, having do with what the word relly ‘Stamina namie of mt dependent proceses—with no cles o xed Teundaris tha cols ofr loly structured whole ttaiy). Thee FRukeepiscaological monent hat dsl howto rgaizeourhinkingo Undead sch world (dat tis ivolve optingor a philosophy af Fnteral relation and astacting othe chief patterns in which change and Interaction occur swell asthe main paren and between which they ae seen to eur There isthe moment of ng (where, based om an asset of Internal sltions between ll parts oe aes the categories that convey thee patterns long wih st of pres dried fan Mar’ theories 8 a 0 Ffwestgation) There ithe moment of iatletal reconstruction or ve {luaiation (where one ats ogee te rots of such esearch for ones) ‘Thins fllowedby tae moment of exposition (wherevusinga tag het ake {count of how ober thnk as wear wha he kpowsone resto explain ths ‘lactic rspof that” to prtiar auience). Andina thre ithe ‘nomen of rats here bseon whatever clasficationhas been reached one “hnsiosly asin the worl, changing ead testing iand deepening one's tinlestanding of tall the same te "Theses omens are mot raversed once and fo abt again ati opin a+ very attempt fo understand and expound dialectical tubs and to at upon them improne onc bility to orgie one’ thinking sleet and {que further and deeper no he mataly dependent process to which we ‘Tro telong In writing about dacs, therefore one mt be very el mo we axes ov nite iaLterie twsinge ot anyone moments 40 many thinkers do—atthe expense ofthe ‘thers Onlin thet internal elation do hese six moments constitute a work thle and men valuable dialectics] method 'So—why dlletst Because chat’ the oly sensible way to study a world ‘ompooed of mutually dependent processes in constant colton ad le to interpre Mare, who oUF lading investigator ino this wodd. Dialects is neces jut tose capital, gen i vases and comple and Nare- ‘hohe us understand to intrct usin ove odo Commons rom Un der the Goose Studies and help us develoga pot strategy to rea the ‘ormmons Capitals sala and completely ileal so Ua Maris wil always be necessary to make sens of tad dae Marx, 3 Why nowt The curva tage of capitan ie character by fr eater com pestyand much ster change and ineracion than exited cari But ifsoch {yhas never been ombued wih duet, the efforts to keeps fom gran {ng what staking place have never been wo pteratic a 0 efctie-all which makes adie understanding mote inaspensable now than eee efor. Scales sudden lows of cet a8 vial alternative to capitalism, howe aos largely dco the colle the Soviet Union, has given Nae ‘ss ill poher import reason to devote mor tention to alti foe ny sists, een some who ha alas ben eit ofthe Soviet Orin, hve ected to this ecent turn of history by questioning whether ny foot socials spose Perhaps unsurprisingly one rls been akin of ‘are shes that arated the writings mann he Le today What os ‘crt anal apm without ay aconypanyingconcption of soi i ook like describes ho apis werk, shoes eho get screwed” and by how much, offers a moral condemsation of same, prescribes—eute de ‘mlew—reforast solutions and cass thee n anger wl acs ot «ational despair and cynicism. Sound fama? ‘Mars would nathave een pleased, ox, despite he sbsence any single work om soilien/commni, there are no writings of hi no mtr bow sl, whee are ot given sone ination of what ach fate would e ike I Hegel's Owl of Minerea comes oat an also goes back nat dusk, Marx’ Ol says around to herald the new dawn, Ths imaginative recnstracin of the future has ben sharply attacked oot oly by hs opponents bu by many of Maras flowers rach dard Bers (96, 204-53 309-1) 3nd, mone recent Eric Oli Wight (995), who view ita a ape into utopias that Contamiaaes is thers scenic eatrpie. But do all acusons of he {ture have tobeutopan”? With Ross Lasemburg (966,40) and ater do —ay Wy Dak Why Now? wo sheet erm, tin aac i ey et ee ecaneees ena nen Se ee ee eae op oie eens Siac ee ees eee ‘elt ea oe an hg dy eee esate area cer tin mre ee al Soe Ee Sec een So ih a ee mes i a ee Se ee Se ae ee ee sig he pont of rope hing wate work sto be dane wo iEerhounand enon refs cane Unbreak ‘ho encounter te sneer don thot ne een nh Ps ‘hate asx eee Ant sinprt emery oe nesting potenti taking the ge ven ot ol foward et someting eat develo hts ard tla asec epee tov: This lng, bower be edhe beer ig ‘hing and no ne changes on ht on but oly ics elon, ship with ote peope an tings at saga mercies Hee, Somer nied the immedateojet of cre, asinine petal duis tat we project te sehen ofthe complex ab ier le ‘hihi bong. The notion of ott ase whence sept 2arithtis seperated oa senonpasing seme tempted emis When that a enn, "ptetia an ny eto ob the sense of chance forall the ney derived fom te lana oo ‘Poca chrtfeiy hs en soe andthe oases ‘expect ne otcome rahe thn anne Thy cruf he bem mot pc ae in sting een rcs ind capi hen, ey pce tha concn ope te isfy set afm hte nay na ae hat {Ecvsorgacaly auf the present Teepe a he Precis ‘ent thoagh whic i nd the at ay whens ie pe from omerberon fs vay to some When toncone some lat inthe pat or theatre we ality teeing ins el iar tthe present comple wall of fm tr thc torte toe (orbs) cn ao eres pric akin pea na me ‘scat abe or hscondtn tan neteah Tht perso aces enon imply ale soeting apr a ey watt isha wat ited oly be Hee wi te xp he aly ted in sence tint ox pp cl tne” a theta ec atures gy moi rm hey spear and ae tominthe present ‘Wit smi theta fk edo ace he tons ny hing a ihothr things aspurosstemcen whe aig at ach pos ‘xstfor supa herent eet beet shat tds ings Liew opering with row indent arth ses ete, thoy inating haere aan wl aco ‘gawingthvhen yingiosndensndsohingatheptoen: pope sth tidnce for uel that xt ound th eee set ‘ny ase ofan bility tact cnens om piensa ig itera how te mi fen eer Rar a mee ‘estat he conn hye abut ham do pt mtn se ‘bss tiepontaeem ot ess soe 7 Why Dili? Why Nom? 1 toner! thm into, The temic and historical characters of bath epitalsm {nd socials tht would allow for sch projections are snp missing The dla ene thant Mary of raing and ersng {Vtbecondions caps so ht they boone nero ested mens famous whole wih sti bathe nt ile momenta ow con poner that ay nd at thy may etc Wh hsm prot ln t bee pron or tihng nd the nt nd the fre becomes + in tng poe wh cowry nd daveb elon et a proces ti byslcing a preset once ths way ha Mat = lestecan dic te bod outiner of the sot and communi ce ‘ethat leche The dca method with hich Mar sie thi ture ne tec talstpevent const four itp) He lok for eltons Bee i iin pit ears forces moment nti) Hes fod teecoaryprcoon ofast the eervewngthe 8 3 imu depdc pene —in the ps eng te pecnon e Senate fan ningmocne hep he prot thine proces tormated a cntadctons from he per tng tr prot ioe tre Tee pojction move fom he Sune othe rouble esoltion of thee coneaitos ina in ttm non othe ype a wyatt nhc ore Sista tn.) Mane then eves we nd es the ct sn com Irons sage ofthe feat whic eat ave a ange oso fee Sing th presen ded back times inlet pat no iene ‘ihe seo he necnaryprecndon or uch tare fore eaorting on Hse stp there ate wo qalications and ope clrention hat nec tobe made Pn shoud be car at expan hee ‘ead the fiure noo he same satay malingsochs ta the mc ‘rich he cee he des rot forward are meant oust he Tppeechand sould not beta els ofan cad completed ‘hugh hank cae oat ony reas example, The send uation tastodowith Aotl'swaming that andetating ay stay we sol 0 ‘Spec mare peon han the are of our eb per The poeta ‘tinct for tan el enough batts en unclear and bys imprei otha parte eat forma wl velop ands ga i ingorthe nent at which heeapeted change lc Inher in i ping rare tha the pratt we mat beat oaa aston aa edo nwledgethat can verb et. “Te claraton odo wth he acta he tre ht rs oncones by prjeing te once sociys contac ot al one pe. Man’ varied projections make it necessary to divide the fur ito fur di ferent sages, communi hing but the las. Through is ana of et ismasa stern in the presen that emerges out os preconditions the pat, ao lo projets its smite otros development ovr the es few ear)the ea fore (rte comingaf the css that sus a soils Jaton) mide future or anion between captlism and communi tat ‘we cllscialism.” and nally the fr future or communism How Mane ses ‘is dlaletcal method for ingrng nt what ie ahead arcs somewhat de ‘ending onthe stage ofthe ature he a concerged with Whoa terete ‘miedo what ye called he "nde" and arf Mar’ treatment ‘ofthe "immedi" apd especially the "nea futures cannot be wholly ignored, Snr ticouamesbe proj fr hem emer hn xpos ana 5 Keeping these quliications and this craton sty in min, we can etn tothe ou steps by ehich Maresh ose the secre of theatre rom Iidingplasein the presn. The re stp aT waters the mnie ‘theorgniintection that charactzs apis seiely—partieal aed the scumulation of epitl and he clan struggle this moment of ine ‘order o focus on what i distinctively capitals our stun, Marx hastoab- Stra out amt) thow quately esl andor ierent kinds oprah lens equlyimportatthat belong to ur socety spo ther stn uch shun society (which asthe whale Wstory theses) or lae ty bich take nth ire prod cls istry), of mde capa ‘whi ony tsi the mnt resent tage of api) ote Urge se ‘tythaetsathis time in hsplace (which only aes in wat shere and now) ery socety and eveything them ae composed gules tha allen these sltfent eels of oneal Ten together-wich sow most people ap ‘roach them—they constitute aconfsing patchwork of siting pees that ‘ales these connections that exit om any single level very fc fo ‘etc. By starting withthe decision to exchde all moncpitalist ves of ality rom his avarenes, wo fous provisional on the cpiaist haractr of the peopl civ, and products Belore hit, Marx voids ripping on what human society ors istry or he he els enone have placa a hit ‘ay incarying out his work sour leading seme of expat “The widesped view of capitalism a the sum of everything ou soy rather than the capitalist “sls” of thas Bec responsible fo epee cm Pains mos cn fom postmodernsts and soi movement theorist Marcignorstherale af ae gener ation, and rligon, He gore thet least in his tematic writings becuse hey al predate captalsm and come ‘jen cannot be pat of whats diinctne about eaptalism, Though all of Why Diatts? Why Now? el ‘hes contons take om aptaitforms tog alg with heir fomsas part of tla society othe i of the species thet mast important quali falon the later levels of gamers and shee and on ons fr a eae subj to ‘hese level) that they have he retest impact. Uncovering the avo mo ‘on ofthe ceptalt mode of production, however which wes he major gal (of Man's investigative efor, simply sequired a more restricted focus ‘Wt the tine quate of eapitalism nfo, Mare proceed to exam inethe most importa teractions inthe rset fom diferent vantage po, though economic proces, artical in prodacton are privileged uth as "anlage pots ad ss mate to be tle. To avd the overemlai ad tevin that marks mos onesie ste the elation tcc abo rad ‘spit sezmined rom each sie nturn and thesamneapes tall hemor ‘ton that Marx OF egal rignicanceis the fc hatter tons retaken toes betneen all objective and subcve factor otha condons ‘ever comeinto Maresh umbiea c to e people who fot and safle by them, and the same api to people—the ar ales rapped iene with teen hs context sen apart of who sd wha they fre Capt as Marcy, at the same ie the ceili” 05754 Afr contin the capital reset nth manner Ue ean sop Marx takin his gus fo unlock the fire to examine the preconitions of this present in the pst the dst eyo the present els i sbject nat feranso shay Reins a daletcal sa ofthe pas ouiethat weve these Relitioneae alo proces History comes to mean theconstant uneven oo Jaton of mutually dependent conditions The ps of course takes place be- fore the present and in etling the story one ually begins a the ging, tin! moves for Bt he core order nguyen ad that “Marx uncovers rhs econstuction ofthe preset la guides hi in biscarch into the pst epg hm decide what o oak for aswell as hw far back ogo inloking oi. The question posed is What ha to happenin he pst forthe presen to become what edd? Tht no to suggest that wba ocr was rerdsined ogh there may baw eon god reasons frit), ony tat itid [fat tae place and hit ha hese res tn following his approach, ‘hat Marx ed wo lt edly a the period when mos ofthe fmpotant preconditions fr capitalism are is i dwn, 6 Ager rconsrucing the organicintracton of thecapitals pesentandstab lishing its origin the as Marx rx o projec the mai tendencies that efi there inte one o another stag of heute As para i third ep Jnhenthod Mare abstracts eorganzes etn) these tendenceas"con traditions” which emphasis ther nteraton ax proce ha sma neously tually sapporting and nutually undermining one another. Ose moe 164 axe OF THE oiatrerie tims it the undermining sect tht prev The andament aston tharundees Mars pati het that ely san neal ceed he wth emporal ar elas dimensons Things that aresxperse snd nde enent itis how one cance them) cant ein conteicion, ence Sntraiction mpi tanta change in any pal rods ‘fa compare mage throughout the pen hashing ta (czin hs ishon on cones tem) comet be ina ones aes ‘entrain mpi thre calion up aca. The seo "cntadn informa ogc and to ler to some eto econ ceri of i! {split economy (he province of Sac Dist ee cha ther thn tue eeption fers isons of Mans wll en throughout hs wetings towns once come ol puta hat ta sean or hii nedon wht a ald een eve nex thepreset and the pv Nas contradiction au containabetectneand subjective spect wel sigh dpe of conic tent Mans conradisions ge he preset sao fa cpiti, in lading he peopled nthe, wy tha rng ae hi clear ‘frets hs desloge the presse that ate undrning er aang slid. and he aly changes up aa With omarion the peo

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