Re: [Marxism] re: "The FBI and Science & Society"

[Carrol Cox <cbcox@xxxxxxxxx>]

paul illich wrote:
>
>  One of the most unarguable statements ever
> made by Marx is surely his observation that the point of philosophy is to
> change the world?
>

The Eleventh Thesis is even more radical than this paraphrase of it.
Marx is asserting, not only that we need ideas to change the world but,
MORE IMPORTANTLY, our ideas themselves come from our efforts to change
the world. Mao has a wonderful metaphor for this. If you want to know
what a pear tastes like, he says, you need to participate in changing
the world by biting into the pear.

Those who become marxists just by reading are apt to hold on to a very
shallow notion of marxism. The most often travelled (and the  best) road
to marxism is to find oneself involved in social struggle, and out of
that come to a realization that only marxism can make sense of the
practice in which one is involved.

Carrol


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