OCTOBER,1946 thepainfulandtediousprocessofeducation,theslowbuild- ingupofacircle,ofagroup,ofanorganization;itwasbarricadesandredflags,bloodybatlesandresoundingproclama- tions.Thesecouldbevicariouslyenjoyedandprovidedthe rawmaterialforliterarycreation. Acertaintypeofradicalintelectualtendstobecomea politicalrouéforwhomonlynewnesscanstillbringexcite- ment.ThustheabruptsomersaultsfromMarxtoReich,from TrotskytoTolstoi,fromLovestonetoBerdaiev,andfrom proletariandictatorshiptotheNirvana."TheyinventGod whentheylosetheirpartycards." AsdistinctfromanearliergenerationofAmericanradicalism,mostNewRoadershavenolongereventhestrengthto livebytheirowngospel.Theytalkofhumanbrotherhoodat theirliterarycocktailparties.Theywriteliketheoldmanof YasnyaPolyanabutliveliketheyoungCount.Beliefsthat arenotpracticedarenotonlysomuchhumbugbutarealso innocuous.TheindividualrevoltéunwittinglyisanAmerican institutionwhichcanflourishonlyontheparticularsoilofa liberalculture.His"rejecting"isacceptedandassigneda specificplaceandfunctionintheculturalpatern. 4.TheQuestforAbsoluteMorality Adesperatequestformoralabsolutespermeatesthewhole "newroad"theorizing.JusticeandTrutharecapitalizedand itisfeltthatitmighttherebybepossibletoregainforthema lustrewhichwaslostinthedailygrindofearthlycontact. Thisremindsoneofthewordmagicpracticedincertainprim- itivecultures:ifatribesmandoesaforbiddenthingheconstantlycriesaloudthatheisdoingtheGoodandRightful, thushopingtofooltheGods.ThecurrentcryforJusticeand Truthseemstobearelatedphenomenon;herealsowordmagic replacescopingwiththerealworld. Macdonald,folowingMarx,showstheestrangementof modernmanfromhisownnaturebythesocialforceshehimselfcreates.Butanimportantpartofthisprocessofreification ispreciselytheuseofabstractconceptswhich,insteadofbeing meanstofightforabeterlife,becomeindependentdeitiesto whommanissupposedtobow. It isatemptedtoposita sphereofvaluesvalidinitselfandshornofallcontactwith humanrealities.What,Iask,ismoreinhumanthanthisbloodlesstruthandthisanaemicjustice?Whatpricethissphereof perfectionwhichissupposednottobearthescarsofitshuman originsandwhichmustprovideayardstickwithwhichto measureallhumanendeavor,allrealprocesses,asincomplete andfinite?Whatisthisotherthantheoldtheologicaltrick ofdegradingtheconceptof"beinghuman"into"merelybeinghuman"(asKarlMannheimhaspointedout)? Isthisnotpreciselyintunewithourtimes,intunewith thebasicalienationthatpermeatesallourthinking?Itisthe markofdeclineofacultureif theintelectual,insteadof aimingatunveilingthetruthofhistimesandthuscontribu- tingtochangingit,isinquestofsomesuperhumancertainty andperfection.Whatanabdicationofabodyofpeoplewho aspiretoindependentthinkingwhenit iscomplainedthat, whenadheringto"mererealities,"onewillgetaviewthatis merelyfinite,merelyhuman.Asiftherewerealossofdignity inadmittingthatinanyvisualpictureofanobjectwecan onlygetaperspectiveview.Whatcurioustheologicaltwist thatwantsustobelievethatahumanpointofviewanda historicallygivenlightingnecessarilyaredistortions,asif it wereanadmissionofdefeattoconcedethatanswerstocertain BibliotecaGinoBianco questionscanbeobtainedonlyintermsoftheperspectiveof agivensituation.Whatisthisdesperatesearchforcertainty butanadmissionoftheinabilitytocometogripswiththe realitiesofourexistence? Moralabsolutesareadimeadozenonthemarketsofhis- tory.Whatweshouldbeconcernedwithistheirconcrete sense,andwhatrelieftheycanbringtothepredicamentof modernman.Moralabsolutesarenothingbutemptyforms, givenameaningonlythroughtheconcretehistoricalcontent whichispouredintothem.ThusProudhon's(andChiaromontes' )conceptofjusticethroughmutualaidandequalex- changewouldbeunthinkablebutastheoutgrowthofacommodity-producingsociety. Generalianonpungent. Whatweneedaresharpinstrumentstochangetheconditionsinwhichmanisadegradedand contemptiblebeing—noteternaltruthstoglorifyhiscondition.Nothingisgainedbyrestatingasomewhatsophisticated picture-bookmorality. Indignationisaverypoorsubstituteforanalysisandtobe againstsiningeneralasingularlyunproductiveaffair.To pointoutwhatoughttobemakessenseonlyifawaytoward theimplementationoftheseworthydesirescanbeshown, otherwiseitissenselessandmoralyneutral:ifwesaythat workersshouldstriveformoredemocracyintheirunions, thatinitselfisamoraldemand;butifwedeclarethat"there shouldnolongerbeanysolarexplosions,"it isastatement withoutmoralconnotationswhatsoever.Normswithwhich actioncannotcomplynecessarilyareinvalidandharmful, fortheynourishideologieswhosefunctionitistoobscurethe actualmeaningofconductinsteadofrevealingit. Therecanbenoseparationbetweenone'svaluesandone's atempttomasteraproblem.Thechoiceofaproblempoints alreadytowhatoughttobe.Ifwechoosetoanalyzethein- stitutionsofoursociety,iftheypresentaproblemtous,itis becausewehavepassedavaluejudgmentonthehumancon- dition.Furthermore,humanvaluescannotbedivoréedfrom humanaction,and,sinceman'sactionsaredeterminednot onlybyhisconditionbutbyhisdesires,hisvaluescannotbe divorcedfromhisgoal.Socialistvalues,asSebastianFranck verywellhaspointedout,aredeterminedbythespecificconditionsofsocialistactionandbythegoal:socialism.Forex- ample:solidarityisamoralvaluethatcouldnotdevelopina competitiveandindividualisticsocietysinceitviolatedallthe fundamentaldemandsofthissociety.Itcameintoprominence onlyinamovementthatstrove,throughcolectiveactionof theoppressed,tochangethehumancondition.Thusthesamenessofpositionoftheworkerswhodonotfindthemselvesin acompetitiverelationshipfurnishestheconditionforsolidarityandthegoal,socialism,determinesthemeans:collective action,whichinturngeneratesaspecificmoralityintunewith suchaction.Allthoseactionsareimmoralfromthesocialist pointofviewwhicharenotconducivetotheechievementof thesocialistgoal:lyinganddeceit,terrorandfraudcannotbe meanstoattainatrulyhumanandbrotherlysociety.Such means,ifused,leadtoendsdifferentfromthoseinitialypro- claimed.Thusvaluescannotbeseveredfromthemeanstoimplementthem,norfromthegoalwhichtheyembody. 5.DepartmentalizedThinking AmongthemostformidableachievementsofMarxhasbeen hisgrandioseatempttotranscendthedepartmentalizationof thoughtandactivitiesthathasbecomethedominantpattern
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