OCTOBER,1946 333 meansessentialythatinourepochanactoreventismeas- uredbyitsrelationshiptofurtheringtheSocialistrevolution. WhenTrotskywrotethatinourepochthekeytothewhole historicalprocessistheroleoftherevolutionaryparty,he wassayingessentialythesamething:the"subjective"factor istodaymoreimportantthanthe"objective." ThedescriptionofthepastinvolvedintheMarxisttheory ofprogressisquiteaccurate:toseeinthepastanaccumulativedevelopmentofproductiveforceswhichmakespossible anincreasinglybetersocietyisNOTtoreadpurposeinto history,nottoequatescientificprogresswithethicalwell- being,butrathertorelatethem. Enter:DwightjamesBurnhamMacdonald LikeotherswhohavebrokenfromMarxism,Macdonald cannotresistthetemptationtotakeacrackatatheoryof HumanNature.Thoughhehimselfoncewrotearatherdevas- tatingattackonJamesBurnham'spost-Marxianvagaries,he nowtreadsinthelatter'sfootsteps.Herejectstheconception thatmen'snatureshavebeendebasedbyexploitivesocialinstitutions;hewrites: "Iftheseunpleasanttraitsareheldtobeperversionsofhu- mannature,thenonemustaskonwhatscientificbasisthis findingismade;itisanoddconceptionofnormalitywhich expresesitselfonlyinafewindividualsandculturesthroughoutmans' longhistory.Scientificaly,theMachiavelianswould semtohavethebeterofthisargument." Thekeywordhere,ofcourse,is"normality."Marxistsdo notclaimthattheextraordinaryvaluesdemonstratedbya fewindividualsaidculturesareindicationsof"normality" (whateverthedevilthatmaymeaninthisconnection!);they sayratherthatsuchindividualsandculturesareindications of potentiality. TheMachiavelians,whomMacdonaldbelatedlyseesashaving"thebetterofthisargument,"believeon thecontrarythathumannaturemakesimpossible,becauseof itsselfishdrivesfordominationandpower,alibertarianso- ciety.ButifMacdonaldbelievesthattheMachiavelianshave "thebeterofthisargument"thenhowcanhebelievein Socialismatall,evenhisutopianvariety? Ultimately,adefinitivestatementaboutthelimitations whichhumannatureimposesupontheconstructionofafree society, if itimposesanyatall, willnotbepossibleuntilhu- manityundergoestheexperienceoftryingtobuildsuchasocietyunderreasonablyfavorableconditions.Inthemeantime, wecanmakereasonableworkingassumptionsthathumannaturedoesnotnecessarilydelimitaSocialistsocietybecause: (1)allofourexperiencesandobservationsaboutitinthepast arebasedonclasssocietiesandthereforewhatweobserveis not"humannature"intheabstractbutasocialy,classdeterminedhumannature;(2)therehavebeenperiodsinhis- tory,suchastherevolutionaryperiodinRussia,whenmasses ofpeoplebehavedwithtremendousheroism,self-sacrificeand nobility,astherehavebeensuchindividualsatalltimes,and fromboththesedatawecandiscoveratleastpotentialitiesfor humannatureinthefuture; (3)humanityhasneveryet experiencedasituationinwhichitlivedinasocietyprovid- ingforitplenty,securityandleisureandwehavenowayof knowingman'spotentialitiesinsuchasociety;(4)fromthe previousthreefactors,wecanworkontheassumptionthat humannatureismalleable,thatis,wecanworkonan asif theoryabouthumannature.Likeallhypothesesthistheory Bibliotecauinobianco canbeprovenonlyinpractice,butthusfar it,andnotthe viewpointoftheMachiavelians,has"thebeteroftheargumMenat. cdonaldasksifhumannatureisnotbynow"adjusted toexploitationbeterthantofreedom"becauseit"hasbeen sothoroughlydeformedbymileniaofexploitation."Suchan assumption,however,canbemadeonlybyacceptingthecon- ceptionofhumannatureasaconstantinhistory,gradualy deformedbymileniaofexploitation;buttheconceptof"hu- mannature"isonlyausefulbitofshorthand;itreallyrefers tothesocialy-conditionedhumannaturesofthepeoplewho liveineachepochandsociety.Isthereacontinuityoftraditionwhichisdeforming?Yes.Buteachhistoricalsituational- waysgivesrisetoclassconflicts,fromwhichcomerebellions andtheestablishmentofaspirationsforfreedom;andthis, too,becomesatradition. TheMandanatitudetowardshumannatureisnot,asMac- donaldasserts,amerevalue-judgment;it isascientifichypothesisbasedonscientificobservation.UnlikeMacdonald,we arenotreadytoengageinthefrivolousprocedureofadmiting thattheMachiavellians"havethebetteroftheargument" onlytoblandlyworkontheassumptionthat. . .theydonot havethebeteroftheargument. Enter:DwightGeorgeWashingtonMacdonald UnderlyingMacdonald'sdiscoveriesishisconceptionofan AbsoluteMorality;of"absoluteandnon-historicalvalues, suchasTruthandJustice"whichderivefrom"personalin- tuition."Moralvalues,hewrites,areendsinthemselves;if Truthisavalueforone,thenalieisnotjustified,evenif it isintheclassinterestsoftheproletariat."Andthesevalues "haveanelementwhichisnothistoricalyrelative,exceptin thesenseofrelatingtohumanbeingsonthisearthandnotto SaturnsansorMartians." DwightMacdonalddoesnotunderstandwhyMarxistsare soimpatientwithhim.Hisdifficultyisthathewritesasif heisdiscoveringtheuniverseforthefirsttime,andheis genuinelypainedifsomeofuspassbyhistheoreticalproductionswiththeremarkthathisideasweredemolisheddecades ago. Thereaderwillthereforeforgivemeforsayingthatwhile readytopolemizeindetailagainstMacdonald'spoliticalconceptions—forthese,tothedegreethattheyaffectpeople,are importantMarxistshavenopatiencewithhismoralizing.For thosewhosuccumb,wesuggestanappropriatebibliography. Afewremarkshowever: WhatdoesMacdonaldmeanbysayingthat"ifTruthisa valueforone,thenalieisnotjustified,evenif itisinthe classinterestsoftheproletariat?" IgnazioSiloneonceposedtheproblem:whatshouldaSocial- ist,forwhomtruthisanabsolutevalue,dowhenapolicemanaskshimthewhereaboutsofarevolutionistwantedby thecapitaliststate?WeMarxistshavenodifficultyinansweringthatquestion.Wesay:wewould mislead thecops,we would"lie"totheminordertothrowthemoffthetrackof thehuntedrevolutionist.Sucha"lie"wouldbeintheservice ofthegreatertruthwhichtheSocialistmovementrepresents. Letussharpentheproblem.Supposethecopscameforin- formation,andindicatedthattheywererealyonthetrailof thehuntedrevolutionist.Insuchasituationtorefusetoan- swerthepoliceman'squestions—ameansbywhichthebelievf f
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