Re: marx and free speech

[Adrien.Verlee@xxxxxxx (Adrien Verlee)]

Dear John,

>From: Spoon Collective <spoons@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 11:51:06 -0400 (EDT)
>Subject: Marx and Free Fpeech (fwd)
>
>- ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 15:34:54 +0100
>From: J.Steel <J.Steel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Marx and Free Fpeech
>
(...)

>a free press. I know that there is a lot of literature on Marx's
>'ethics,' and Marx's and 'justice' etc., but as yet I have found
>virtually nothing which focusses on Marx and free speech.

There is also a book by Marcel van Herpen in Dutch.
Marx en de mensenrechten, politiek en ethiek van Rousseau tot Marx, Marcel
van Herpen, Wereldvenster, Weesp, 1990
Translation: Marx and the human rights, Politics and ethics from Rousseau to
Marx.

This book have a large bibliography.

I can't give you this bibliography, but I can give you (short) the table of
contents and a summarize of the piece:  The free press as a represent of the
Volksintelligenz.

Table of contents:
PART 1
ROUSSEAU, SCHILLER, HEGEL, FEUERBACH
1 Rousseau
On search to the ethical citizen (staatsburger)
2 Schiller
The 'esthetisering' (don't know the English word) of the politic(s)
3 Hegel
The metafysica of the alienation
4 Feuerbach
Religion as self-projection (zelfprojectie)

PART 2
MARX
5 Marx and Schiller
The unknown first alienation theory of Marx
6 the 'True' State
Earlist Marx' ideal
(this is the chapter with the piece: 'free press')
7 From religioncriticism to society-criticism
The influence of Arnold Ruge
8 Marx' theory of the political alienation
Criticism on Hegels Justicephilosophy
9 The alliance of ethics en politics by Marx
10 Marx and the human rights
An analysis of a ambiguous relation
11 Marx 'discovery' of the proletariaat
The influence of Lorenz von Stein
12 Revolution and emancipation
Critical view (doorlichting, in Dutch) on Marx presuppositions

13 Conclusion 1
Politics en ethics: Relation is direct or  'un-direct' (indirect)?
14 Conclusion 2
Towards an economical democracy?


Now the summarize of the fragment: The free press als represent of the
Volksintelligenz.

By rank organized representation of the people, represent according to Marx
the 'material'; the 'Geistloze' (without 'spirit')
That's not good. The people must represent themselves.
How?
Marx make an appeal on the 'vernunftige'  (reason) needs in the people. In
fact the need to realize the public interest. When this need is satisfy,
then, say Marx, you can speak of the 'true' state. In such state you have
only 'spiriitical' powers.

Here is Marx distinct idealistic. He sees the state as an ethical-spiritical
'thing'. Direct touch with the civil-society must be avoid.
For the transformation of the society is here no interest.
Marx wish to change the civil-society towards an abstract-spirituel unity,
the: Volksintelligenz.

(...)

Still there are sews that point to Marx critic later on of the civil-society
Marx don't have the theoretical view here between the relation of riches and
poverty. Of the highist importance now is that the notion 'common interest'
becomes less abstract and more concrete. Marx makes a link (more and more)
between the common interest and  poverty (care for social-weakness).
Therefore the state must be 'human', 'magnanimous' ... in short: 'vernunftig'.
Here formulate Marx the demand that in the vernunft-state the individuals
not only must be 'social-mobile' (sociale mobiliteit) but also the classes
'an sich'

Gradual gives Marx a social content on the idea 'comon interest'. The
utterance is to see in his articles of the vine-growers state of emergency
in the Moezel.
__________>IMPORTANT (I think) for you John! K. Marx, 'Rechtfertigung des
++-Korrespondenten von der Mosel', MEW Band 1. Here speaks Marx over the
free press.<_________________________
There was a dispuut if the state should (or should not) support the
vine-growers. Marx  says that it was the dutty of the state to support the
vine-growers.
In his argumentation Marx makes a difference between personal-sorrow and
common-sorrow. But who should say which sorrow is privat or common?
For Marx can only a free press do this. Because the free press is not a
concerned party. etc. etc.

(...)

The free press, for Marx, is not an target 'an sich'. The free press serv
the common interest negative against privatproperty, but a possitive
identification with the social and economical weakness (poor).

-End of the summarize-
Let's hope that my English the job have done!

Adrien




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