Polities evil,wherethefightagainstthemonstershaspolutedthe handsoftheheroes,intoaworldofpurityandcleanliness. Theyareindesperatequestofsomesortofvantagepointre- movedfromtheconfusionofthebattlefield,unstainedbyits bloodanditssweatanditstears.Theywanttobreakaway intosomelittleprivategarden(theycal it"sexualemancipation"or"JusticeandTruth")which,likeCandide,theycan cultivatewhilethestormsblowoutside.Theyseekpurityand thuslookforNewRoadsoutoffilthyrealityinthemost varieddirections. ThespiritsofFreudandReich,ofTolstoiandBerdaiev,of KropotkinandProudhonarecaledupontoleadtheway. Amostbewilderingarray!NewRoadsinpolitics,butour pathfindershavenotyetunderstoodorhaveforgotenthat actioninpoliticsimpliesparticipation,thatpolitics,thecon- cernoverthecity,meanstakingpartintheembroiledlife andthedubiouscombatsofthe po/is; thatwithoutinvolve- mentthereisnopolitics;thatpoliticscannotbecarriedon byspeculatingaboutitfromtheoutside. Theyhavenotrealizedthattheirretreatfromthemasses, fromtheclassstruggle,preparestheroadforpreciselythat abandon,thatrelaxationwhichwillopenthegatestotheon- rushof"evil,"astheStoawasboththeexpressionandthe portentofthedeclineofAthens.Theyhaven'tyetrealized thatretreattowardindividualismisnothingbutthereverse sideofthetotalitarianmedalandthattheywhosetoutto fightmoreefectivelythestatusquomustthoughunwitingly—bolsterit.WhatexcelentsubjectsthosewhoseKingdom isnotofthisworld! DwightMacdonaldinhis"TheRootIsMan"makesanum- berofpointswhichindeedseemtobecrucialfortheunderstandingofourtimes.*Heshouldbethankedforhaving raisedissueswhicharecommonlyignoredincurrentdiscussoinsdominatedbythepostivisticworshipof"facts."He recognizesthefundamentalalienationthattodayexistsbetweenmanandtheinstitutionswhichhehascreatedandfeels theurgentneedforsavingthosebasichumanvalueswhichare inincreasingdangerofcompleteobliterationbytheonrush- ingtideofthenewbarbarism. WiththeunderlyingpurposeofMacdonald'sargumentI findmyselfinwholeheartedagreement.Whoofushasnotfelt inrecentyearstheneedforarestatementofsomeofthemost fundamentaltenetsofourbeliefs?Whoofushasbeenable sincerelytoaffirmthathestillretainstheoldassurance,that hestillposesesthewel-rounded Weltanschauung which * Itisoftenexceedinglydifficult,ifnotimpossible,todiscussMacdonald's paperbecauseofalackofproperdefinitionofthetermsused.Intheattackagainstscience,oneoftensuspectsthatwhatisrealymeantisonly anattackagainstaparticularpostivistphilosophyofscience-whichincidentalyIrejectjustasemphaticalyasdoesDwightMacdonald.Sometimes theobjectofscornratherseemstobetheparticularbodyofscientistswho havebecomewilingtoolsinthehandsoftherulingclassofAmerica. Thenagaintheattackagainstscienceseemstobedirectedagainstaparticularwayandmethodmenhaveevolvedthroughtheagestomastertheir environment. Similarly,sometimes"marxist"standsfor"Trotskyist,"sometimesit standsfor"Social-Democrat"andsometimesitstandsforastrawmanthat existsnowherethaninMacdonald'simagination.Oneoftheprerequisites forintelligentdiscussionwouldbeaconsistentdefinitionofterms.Theonly atemptatdefiningaconceptclearlyhasbeenmadewiththedefinitionof "Radical"and"Progressive."But I haven'tyetmetasinglepersonwho belongstoeitherof thecategories,theyallseemto fitsomewherein between.Sincethedefinitionmakesitimpossibletoclassifyitisvalueless:a hindrance,notatpol. BibliotecaGinoBianco earlierhefeltcouldbeusedtogaugewithassurancethe welterofdailyphenomena? But,asIshalattempttoshow,thenewroadtowhichhe pointscanleadtonosolutionoftheseproblemsandcanindedonlyfurtheraggravatethoseveryconditionswhich leastintheory—heundertakestoovercome.* 1.IndividualandSociety at Ourstratifiedsocietyisimpervioustoindividualassaults, itevendefiestheindividual'satempttounderstandit.For politicalunderstandingisnotsolelythefruitofintelectual insightbutofactiveinvolvement,andpoliticalaction,tobe efective,cannotbeindividualbutonlycollective. Totheindividualinthissociety,asGeorgeLukaczhas emphasized,thesuroundingworld,hissocialmilieu,must appearbrutalandsenselesslyfatal,eternalyalientohisbeing. Aslongastheintelectualdoesnottranscendhisprivatebeinghecannotactivelytranscendthesocietalrealityand changeitinitstotality.Thereisnoprivateescapefromthis "worldofnecessity"ofwhichStephenSpenderspeaks.The particularfreedomthusclaimedpredicatedasitisuponthe unfreeconditionsofthewhole—mustthereforenecessarily remainpurepretense.Wecannothopetoliftourselvesfrom thebogofinhumanconditionsbyourownmoraltuftof hairs.Inasmuchasmanisacreaturelivinginhistory,the "existence"thatsuroundshimneveris"existenceassuch" butalwaysaconcretehistoricalformofsocialexistence. Theindividualisahistoricalproduct.Hecanbechanged onlythroughhistoricalchange.Infactthewholeartificial distinctionbetweenindividualandsociety-isonlyanotherex- ampleofthedepartmentalizedthinkingtowhichwehave becomeaccustomedinourculture."Thedebasementwhichis goingonisofthehumanbeinginitsentirety,notofthe personinisolationorofsocietyinabstraction"(JohnDewey). Thedisjunctionof"society"and"individual"ispropertothe culturalhabitusofanantagonisticsocietyinwhichtherulers founditnecessary,toquoteDeweyagain,"toatemptto moralizeindustry,commerceendfinance(namelythecondi- tionsunderwhichhumanbeingsactualylive)byexhortationsaddressedtotheconscienceoftheindividual,'i.e.,the applicationofasentimentalpoultice." Thecryforthesalvationoftheindividualinfactserves thosewhoinrealitydominatesociety.Theemphasisonthe * Ipurposelyhaveavoidedany"defense"ofmarxisminthebodyofthe folowing.Itwouldseemanunrewardingtask. I calmyselfamarxist,but livingmarxismprimarilyisamethodofinvestigationandaguidetopoli- ticalaction,notasetofdoctrines.Let'sleavemarxistfundamentalismand ancestorworshiptotheTrotskyistmandarins.Thereisnothingthatre- semblessocloselytheNewRoadapproachtoMarxismasthemethodsused intheinstructioncoursesforyoungcommunists.Foryoungcommunists, allofMarx'sfindingsaretheembodimentofallthat'sgoodandtrue.The NewRoadwritersalsotakeMarx'sfindingsenbloconlyforthemthey aretheembodimentofevil.Inbothcaseswedealwithanessentialyreligiousapproach.Isn'titexceedinglyunimportanttolearnfromMr.Chiaro- montethatMarxwaswrongonpage66ofthe Capital? Ifmarxismisa scientifictheory(andit isassuchthat it isrejectedbytheNewRoad writers),whatisofinterestisitsgeneralmethodasatoolthatenablesone togoaboutanalyzinginteligentlyandchangingthesocietyinwhichone lives.ThehairsplitingaboutthewordsofMarxseemstometobeasign oftheparticularbackwardnessofAmericanradicalthoughtwhichnever wasexpressionandpartofapopularmovement.ThereforeAmericanradicalsasyethavenotbeenabletousethetoolshandeddownbyMarxfor thetheoreticalandpracticalpenetrationoftheproblemsoftheirsociety andarestilllimitedtoanendlessanddrearyexegesis.
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