[OPE-L] Re [OPE-L] Marx on Chance in History

[glevy@xxxxxxxxx]

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: re: Marx on chance in history
From:    "mikus" <idlehandsdistro@xxxxxxxxx>
Date:    Tue, November 15, 2005 1:10 am
To:      glevy@xxxxxxxxx
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Jerry, I am not a member of OPE-L although I do follow
the discussion.  The quote being referred to is in a
letter of Marx to Dr. Kugelmann, April 17, 1871,
referring to the Paris Commune.  This letter is
reprinted in most versions of The Civil War in France.

"World history would indeed be very easy to make, if
the struggle were taken up only on condition of
infallibly favourable chances.  It would, on the other
hand, be of a very mystical nature, if "accidents"
played no part."

There are other translations that may be more similar
to the one from Castoriadis.

Regards,
Mike

On aut-op-sy, someone noticed the following quote from
"The Marxist
Philosophy of History" by Cornelius Castoriadis:

"Marx says somewhere that 'if there was no element of
chance, history
would be magic'"

and asked:

> Q: Did Marx ever write this? If he did, could anyone
> tell me where he wrote it?

Does anyone here know the answer to the 2 questions?
If anyone can
come up with answers then I can forward them to that
list.

In solidarity, Jerry