OCTOBER,1946 limitationsofpastrevolutionsarewelknown:thoseofthe French,theAmerican,eventheRussian.Yetaretheynot thehighpointsofman'saspirationforfreedom,inwhich withunprecedentedself-sacrificeandpassionhestruggledfor liberation?CanMacdonalddenythis?Heseemstoimplyit whenheinformsusthatpastrevolutionsfailedtosolvethe basicproblemsofsociety.Thatisinasensetrueenough;but theserevolutionsdidsolvethoseproblemswhichitwas historicalypossible forthemtosolve,evenifnotthosewhich utopianmoralistsretrospectivelyassignedtothem.Theyestablishednew,revolutionarysocialorders.Sincemassaction hasprovenefectiveforpreviousrevolutionaryclassesaswel asfortheworkingclassinthoseinstanceswhereithada sufficientlymatureandinteligentleadership,itisareasonable assumptionthatitcanproveefectivefortheworkingclass inthefuture.Certainlynoalternativeindicatestheslightest degreeofrelevance. 2.TheSocialistrevolution,byallpresentcalculations,can beachievedinnootherway.Neitherboldforaysbyisolated groups(putschism)norguerilawarfarecanabolishcapitalism;theycanatmost,annoyit.Andfromtheethicalpoint ofviewaswel,theconceptionofmasactionimpliesatleast theattemptandthepossibilityofinvolvingthemassesin politicallife,ofraisingtheirconsciousnesstounprecedented peaks,aswasthecasewiththeRussianworkersin1917. "Teacheverycooktobeaminister,"saidLenin."Letthe cooksworryabouttheirproblems,whilePaulGoodman, NicolaChiaromonteandI formapsychologicalfamilyto livespontaneously,"isMacdonald'simprovement. WhatdoesMacdonaldproposethatthemasesdowhilehe formshispsychologicalcommunities?They,letusremember, aredoomedtowage-slaveryevenifMacdonalddoessucceed inlearningtolivespontaneouslyandevenifhispsychological communitiesgettogethertodiscuss,asheproposes,the"perils ofchild-rearing."Asopposedtothiskindofpuerility,Marx- istsadvocatethepreparationinpractice,throughthemass actionsMacdonaldscorns,oftherequiredlevelofself-com- prehension,self-confidenceandcompetencebywhichthe masesofthepeoplecanmovetowardself-rule. WhatDoesMacdonaldPropose? WehavethusfardiscussedMacdonald'sgeneralobjections to"massaction"onbothconjuncturalandgeneralgrounds; wehaveconcludedthatitinvolvesapoliticalabdication.Let usnowexaminetheconcretetermsofthatabdicationasis manifestedinhisspecificpoliticalpropositions. "Thefirstgreatprinciplewould,therefore,bethatkiling andhurtingothersiswrong,alwaysandabsolutely. . ." Query: WouldMacdonaldhaveopposedtheshootingof HitlerifhehadbeencapturedbyagroupofJewspreviously confinedtoBuchenwald? Query: WouldMacdonaldopposetheuseofarmsbyaSo- cialistsocietyagainstwhichaminorityofFascistsattempted anarmeduprising? Query:DoesMacdonaldbelievethatsincekilingis"always andabsolutelywrong"itispossibletoachieveSocialismwith- outsometimesengaginginactivity"alwaysandabsolutely wroQnuge? r "y:Sinceheisopposedto"hurtingothers"andsince hispositionasamemberofcapitalistsociety forces himtohurt others,doesheproposetoremovehimselffromcapitalistsociety?Towhichisland? BibliotecaGinoBianco "Coercionoftheindividual,whetherbytheStateorrevo- lutionaryparty,isalsowronginprinciple,andwillbeopposedwithsabotage,ridicule,evasion,. . ."etc. JustwhatisMacdonaldtryingtosay?WhenMacdonald objectstocoercionoftheindividualbyarevolutionaryparty, ishetalkingaboutthemethodsofStalinism?Inthatcase, everySocialistwillagreewithhim,butthepointishardly original.Orishetryingtosmugglesomethingelsein?One suspectsfromtheentirecontextofhisarticlethatbycoercion hemeansthedisciplineofagroupofpeoplewho,volUntarily enteringintocertainassociationsfromwhichtheycanjust asfreelywithdraw,nonethelessbelievethatforacommon purposeitispertnissabletosubordinateopinionsonsecondary mattersinordertomaintaincontinuouscooperation.Onesus- pectsthatMacdonald'srejectionof"thecoercionoftheindividual. . .byarevolutionaryparty"isreallymeantasare- jectionoftheprincipleofgroupcooperationwhichnecessarilyinvolvesoccasionalsubordination.Heisengagedinthe popularpastimeofabstractingtheindividualfromhiscontextasamemberofsocietyandmakingofhimsomething sacrosanctandsupra-sociql.Whenposedaseitherablanket identificationoracompletepolarity,therelationshipbetween socialandindividualcannotbeunderstood.Thisrelationship iscomplexandreciprocal,thestatusoftheindividualbeing largelydeterminedbyhisroleinthesocialsituation. Macdonaldwrites,inhissectionon"coercion,"thatheis infavorof"sabotage"toachievehisobjectives;afewparagraphsbefore,asnotedabove,heisagainst"hurtingother people,alwaysandabsolutely."Butisn'tsabotage,evenwhen conductedwiththemostpeaceablemethodsandaims,bound tohurtotherpeople,"alwaysandabsolutely?"Ifyourefuse tobedrafted,asMacdonaldurges,aren'tyou"hurtingoth- ers?"Andonceyougrantoneexception,onecasewhenit is necessaryto"hurtothers,"thenyouarenolongerwriting about"alwaysandabsolutely";youhavemovedperishthe mark!toastandpointakintoMarxism.Youexaminesocial problemsintermsofclassneedsandnotethicalabstractions. "Peopleshouldbehappyandshouldsatisfytheirspontane- ousneedshereandnow.Ifpeopledon'tenjoywhattheyare doing,theyshouldn'tdoit." Thisprofundityis,hetelsus, tobetakenasaprejudiceandnotaprinciple. Evenwiththislatterreassurance,it isdifficulttodiscuss thepointwithanyrestraint.ForMacdonaldreallydoesn't knowwhatheistalkingabout.Doeshethinkitispossible basicalyto"satisfyspontaneousneedshereandnow"ina societywhichdoeseverythingtofrustratethem?Andmore important:bywhatwarantdoesMacdonaldassumetoproffer advicetopeopletoceasedoingsomethingiftheydon'tenjoy it?Doeshethinkmenenjoybeingpoor,chainedtoawretched job,andinsecurealloftheirlives?Theyworkontheassem- blylinesassemi-automatonsbecause,asagroup,theyhave noalternative.Howwouldaworkereatifhequithisjob becausehedidn'tenjoyit? Thebasicpaternsofbehaviour,thethingsmendoand don'tenjoyworkinginfactories,beingchainedtooneplace theyendurebecause theyhavenochoice. Nochoice,thatis, exceptorganizedclassrebelion. "Socialismisprimarilyanethicalmatter."Socialismisan ethicalgoalforalltheexploited and aproposalforasociety madepossiblebythedevelopmentoftechnologicalandpro- ductiveforcesundercapitalism.Itsethicalrelevancerestson
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