326 politics scribes,thereconciliationbetweenmanandhissociety,are thegreattaskswhichfaceourera.Socialistfreedomwould meanthatwehavechanged"aworldwenevermade"into ourworld. Thenmancouldbegintocontrolhisowndestiny. Thisreignoffreedomwouldnotbethereignofthearbitrary; itwouldstillbedetermined,butactivelydeterminedinstead ofpassively. Anillustration:ThePoorWhitewhomustsubsistonsterile soilispassivelydeterminedamongotherthingsbythe qualityofhisearth.Ifhebecomesamemberofacooperative thatbandstogetherandthroughirrigationimprovestheland, heis,ofcourse,notfreefromthedeterminationofconditions. But,havingbecomeawareofthem,heisfreetoactbothto emancipatehimselffromthepassivedeterminationandactivelytoturnittouse. Arevoltagainstthegiveninthenameofthechaoticaly indeterminate,theuncontroled,hasbeentheatributeofre- actionary,notofradicalthinking. Itinvolvestheabandonmentofanyatemptatarationalmasteryofman'tfateand thusmakeshimacreatureofimpulses.Then,indeed,manis degradedtothestatusofamerething. 3.SubjectivismandVoluntarism IhavelongsuspectedthatthevoguewhichTrotskyhas enjoyedamongAmericanradicalintelectualsmustbeattributedmuchlesstohistoweringachievementsasapractical socialisttheoreticianthantoacentraltraitintheheartof histheorywhichmakesofhiminmanyrespectsaverypoor representativeofMarxianthought.I refertohisvoluntarism andsubjectivism.ThefascinationexercisedbyTrotskyona wholegenerationofAmericanintelectualsseemstooriginate fromthesamesourcethatnowpromptstheNewRoadwriters todeveloptheirspeculations. Thoughhesucceededinwrappinghisessentialyvoluntaris- tictheoryinMarxiancloth,Trotskyneverwasrealyableto grasptheessenceofmarxianthought,namelythatthetime forasocialisttransformationcomesonlywhenadesirefor socialistactionhasseepeddeeplyintotheconsciousnessofthe masses,andthatthereisnowayofatainingasocialistgoal ifthereisnoself-activityofthemasses.Hisvanguardtheory isbasedonthebeliefthatagroupofenlightenedminds,possessedofastrongwill,iscapableofmarchingthemasses towardfreedom.Thecauseoffreedomcoincideswiththecause ofthevanguard. InAmerica,themasses,foravarietyofhistoricalyascertainablereasons,neverhavefelttheneedforsocialistactivity. Theradicalintelectualthereforehasalwaysbeentemptedto leadthemasestosocialism"behindtheirback,"toactonbe- halfofthemasesinsteadofwiththem.Thereisthatfrustratinggulfbetweenwhattheradicalintelectualfeelstobe necessaryandthedesperatelyslowprocessofmasawakening. Theurgetoovercomethislagthroughradicalactionofa smalminorityisalmostimpossibletowithstand.ThusAmericahasbeentheparadiseofthepatentsolutionsandcrackpot schemes,theparadiseofthe"modelcommunityandofthe Trotskistmovement. TrotskycouldeasilyappealtotheimaginationoftheAmericanintellectual,thisherowhosoboldlysemedtodefyhis- tory,whochalengeditwithhisassertionthatthereshouldbe anewinternationalbecausehewileditso,andwhonever couldunderstandthatorganizationsarethefinalcrystalizationofaloneripening.ofmasconsciousness,thataninterna- Bionotecauinobilanco tionalcanbebutthecrowningachievementofanewmass movement,notitsstartingpoint. Voluntarismandimpatiencewithhistorynowareagainthe outstandingcharacteristicsoftheNewRoadseries.ThepromisedRedSpecialhasnotarrivedintime,theynotewithdis- may;whatisthuscaledforisnot,asonewouldsurmise,an examinationoftheworthoftime-tablesinthegaugingin socialprocesses,butratheranoverturnofallbasicconcepts thathaveheretoforeanimatedthesocialiststruggle,andan exaltationofone'sownmoralself.Themasesareviewedwith morethanlittlecontemptfornotlivinguptoexpectations. Manyaradicalintelectualshutofffromrealcontactwiththe labormovement—acontactthathasbeenintimateinEurope foratleastfiftyyearslooksdisdainfulyattheeveryday struggleoflabor.Whatinteresthavethesemiserabledemands foramerewageboostofafewcentsinviewoftheallimportantissuesthatencompasshisfieldofvision?Thusthe classstruggleevadesthembecausetheyevadetheclassstruggle tobuildcastles(ormodelcommunities)intheair.Butfree Citiescanbebuiltbycitizensonly,theycannotbeplanned byWanheenlit li es . teningtheotherdaytoLionelAbel'sadvocacy ofareturntotheinnerworldofmagicastheonlydefense againsttheatomicbomb,IcametorealizehowveryshortindeedisthestepfromtheCommissartotheYogi.Thatone whoonlyafewyearsagoacceptedunquestionablythecommissarlogicofJimCannoncouldsoabruptlychangeintoa mysticexploringthemysteriesoftheinnerworldisnotatall asastonishingasitwouldseem.Inbothcasestherationaliza- tionisprovidedfortheexistenceofonewhoisshutofffrom thelifeofthecity,rootless,unabletoparticipate,unableto afordthepainfulpatiencewhichisneededforarevolutionary inthesetimesofdefeat.Thereisthecloistered worldofthe bolshevikorganizationandthecloisteredinneruniverseof AldousHuxley.Themorbidatmosphereinbothismadeof contemptfortheoutsideworldwhichhasnotsenseenough ornotenoughmoralitytoaccepttheadvicesoliberalybe- stowedonit.Thewholeapproachistypicaloftherévoltéwho thinksthatmererejectionandnotintegrationandparticipa- tioninthestruggleoftheoppressed,istheessenceofrevolutionaryactivity. ItremindsmeoftheoldJewishtaleofthe littleboywhostealshiswayintotheSynagoguetospitonthe HolyRols—andthenthinksthatheisemancipated. AwholearrayofChristianvirtuesrecentlyhasbeendisplayedinthepagesofthismagazine,butamongthemhumil- ityisconspicuouslylacking.Inanearlieragetheradicalintelectualwent"tothepeople,"todayhesneersatthepeople. Lookattheseworkersintheatomicbombplantwho,instead of"revolting"whateverthismaymeanmerelyaskfor unionrightsanddecentpay!Butthiscloisteredvirtueleads tocompleteirresponsibility:videGoodman'sdemandthat everybodyceaseworkingforwages,thedismissaloftremendousstrikemovementsas"notinteresting,"theatemptto makebelievethatthelivingstandardoftheBritishworkers hasrisenby80percentduringthewar.Suchattitudesare moralyandpoliticalyasreprehensibleasthedo-nothingness oftheliberal.Wherethereshouldbepityandshameforthe humanconditionthereisanunbearableschoolmasterlyselfrighteousness. FormostAmericanradicalintelectuals,theclassstruggle alwayshasbeenmoreofanestheticthanasociologicalconcept. "Classstruggle"wasnottheuninspiringroutineoforganizing,
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