Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Radicalism And Humanism

Radicalism And Humanism

Nildo Viana

Humans are capable of the most beautiful acts and speeches and at the same time, concepts and more ignoble attitudes. They can act with extreme grandeur and generosity on the one hand, and extreme smallness and meanness on the other. This process is of particular importance in the field of revolutionary militancy in which extremism is often confused with radicalism and when this occurs there is a confusion between being revolutionary and be bloody. Therefore it is important to discuss the relationship between humanism and radicalism, as a revolutionary individual must unite the two into one, which does not always happen and thinking about it may clarify and help overcome this dichotomy in some individual cases .

The goal of a revolutionary is obviously the revolution. Undoubtedly, you can not fall into the mistake of believing that everyone who is said to be the only revolutionary for having said such a thing. Not analyzing an individual by the consciousness that he has of himself, as Marx said (1983a). Not least because what is meant by "revolution" and "revolutionary" varies according to the people. A revolutionary in the sense used here which obviously excludes many cases is that individuals who aims at revolution and understand this as a process of human emancipation via emancipation of the workers, or more precisely, of the proletariat. So accordingly excludes those who think that a revolution is a seizure of state power, replacing a government, among other ways of thinking only in the sense of a "political revolution" because human emancipation can only occur through a revolution social, ie the radical transformation of all social relations. If the goal of the revolutionary is the revolution that liberates humanity as a whole, then there is a humanist basis that goal. There is therefore dichotomy between the radicalism of a revolutionary who wants a radical transformation of social relations to free human beings from exploitation, domination, oppression, and humanism. However, precisely this dichotomy often appears and that's what we have to reflect.

The word humanity can also be seen in various forms. It is not up here a conceptual discussion and not address all its manifestations, just expose the two basic forms of existing humanism. One is the romantic humanism, or "abstract", which, as Rousseau (1989), believes that man is "good by nature" and attributes this quality to all human beings without distinction, based on this principle. The human being here is a core value and this is positive, although problematic. To understand its problematic character it needs to move to the radical humanism, which is a concrete humanism.

As opposed to the abstract (in the metaphysical sense), concrete is "a result of their multiple determinations" (Marx, 1983a). In this conception, the human being is neither good nor bad by nature. What characterizes the human essence is work and sociability, as Marx already pointed (Marx, 1983b; Marx, 1988; Marx and Engels, 1991). The human being is active. He, unlike the other animals, acts on the world, transforms nature and humanizes her and himself. It does this in association or cooperation with other human beings, also being a social being. Thus, the conscious teleological work, praxis, and the association with other human beings are human needs, are part of its essence. However, with the emergence of class society, this essence is denied. Work and sociability are perverted, distorted. Work becomes alienated, directed by others, founding the exploitation and domination and sociability becomes, because of this conflict. In capitalism, more specifically, the operation at work and domination occurs through the extraction of surplus value and sociability shall be controlled, in addition to the conflict classes by competition. In this sense, class societies deny human nature and capitalist society leads to such extreme denial.

In these societies, and more broadly in capitalism, the human essence is denied and distorted. Monstrosities emerge from those practiced by individuals to the collective, as can illustrate the case of a psychopath, in the first case and Nazism in the second. So the romantic humanism is illusory. The radical humanism is one that does not ignore the history and the denial of human nature under capitalism, source of psychic imbalances, but also has no illusions with the world of appearance falling into anti-humanism, thinking that human beings are "selfish" by nature, understanding the broader social process based on class struggle. However, the radical humanism also does not confuse existence with essentially no illusions with "empirical" and knows that behind the psychic destruction of human beings and all other problems such as deformed values, reified consciousness, etc., the essence exists, stifled and repressed, but it's there. Everyone has psychic need for association with other human beings and fulfill their potential and if this does not materialize, there are effects, including the revolutionaries are products that. Revolutionaries are the individuals for expressing the desire of human emancipation, of others and of themselves, although many also know that may not live to see it. No doubt this is different from revolt or rebel. The first only dreams of outright destruction in the background do not want to change anything, just want to destroy what he identified as the cause of their ailments. The rebel is one who only asks what it achieves and instead of radically transforming social relations or, in the background, change its position within that society, so it is easily co-opted and corrupted.

Thus, the radical humanism maintains the unity between humanism and radicalism. As it was for Marx, "to be radical is to go to the root, and the root for man is man himself" (1977). Radicalism without direction there is pseudorradicalismo. It can not generate human liberation becoming inhuman. Humanism without radicalism is romanticism and the "radicalism" without humanism is inconsequential extremism. The romantic humanism generates reformism or sentimentality and extremism generates authoritarianism, morality, nihilism. For revolutionary praxis or abstract humanism or extremism are appropriate. Only the radical humanism is corresponding to such a practice. The radical humanism prevents naive actions derived from romantic humanism, such as thinking that a popular demonstration during radicalized social struggles can appeal to the kindness and non-violence of the repressive state apparatus (police, army). Likewise, also avoids the practice of the Jacobean terror. As Rosa Luxemburg put,

"The proletarian revolution does not need terror to achieve its goals, it hates and abhors the murder. It does not need these means of struggle because it does not combat individuals but institutions, because it does not enter the arena full of naive illusions that lost, would lead to a bloody revenge. It is not the desperate attempt of a minority to mold the world forcibly according to its ideal, but share the great mass of the millions of men of the people, called to fulfill its historic mission and to make the historical need a reality "( LUXEMBOURG, 1991, p. 103).

Accordingly, it can not fall into the romantic humanism misconceptions and derivatives (sentimentality, pacifism, reformism) nor the reckless extremism (authoritarianism, morality, nihilism, aggression or unnecessary violence), both in revolutionary moments as in periods of retreat the labor movement, these two types of action only hinder the advancement of the struggle for radical transformation of society. It is for this reason that both the romantic humanism as extremism must be overcome by radical humanism.

References

FROMM, Erich. The Dogma of Christ. 5th edition, Rio de Janeiro, Zahar 1986.

LUXEMBURG, Rosa. What Whether Spartacus League? In: LUXEMBURG, Rosa. The Russian Revolution. Petrópolis, Vozes, 1991.

Marx, Karl and Engels, Friedrich. The German Ideology (Feuerbach). 3rd Edition, São Paulo, Hucitec 1991.

Marx, Karl. Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy. 2nd Edition, São Paulo, Martins Fontes, 1983a.

Marx, Karl. Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right. Introduction. Magazine Themes of Humanities. Sao Paulo, Grijalbo, vol. 2, 1977.

Marx, Karl. Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. In: FROMM, E. The Marxist concept of man. 8th Edition, Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 1983b.

Marx, Karl. The capital. Vol 1. 3rd Edition, São Paulo, New Culture, 1988.

ROUSSEAU, Jean-Jacques. Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality among Men. Sao Paulo: Attica, 1989.

Monday, February 1, 2016

The Christmas values ​​are axiological

The Christmas values ​​are axiological

Nildo Viana

Christmas is a Christian feast held on December 25, when we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. However, it is noticeable the change of the meaning of Christmas throughout history. Its origin is linked to a pagan feast that preceded Christianity and was adapted for the values ​​and Christian conceptions becoming over time. After it won a religious significance and pagan symbols, as well as how the festival has changed.
The native Christian was initially from the century, a religious festival. Inspired by the Babylonian mythology, the figure of Santa Claus - inspired by Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, Century 05 - represented the solidarity, as was a person who would present three children from a poor family. Later, Santa Claus has been transformed into an individual who gives gifts to children and ask these gifts through letters. It is no longer solidarity and poor children, but the consumer act to require present (children, the way they are socialized today) and give gifts, even using this to hide the difficulties of affectivity, one offering a satisfaction surrogate who are gifted. Many, even if they are not presented (not just children) think they are unloved (VIANA, 2002).
Religiosity and values ​​end up being replaced by other values ​​and interests. The home is no longer commemorative religious festival to become consumerist worldly party. In capitalist society, where everything is gradually transformed into merchandise, we have the commercialization of Christmas. The commercial christmas meaning replaces his former religious significance. Christmas is transformed into a consumerist party where advertising and market seek to increase overall consumption and this is effected every year, as evidenced by the statistics. Is the widespread exchange of gifts, purchases of Christmas items and Santa becomes the greatest symbol of this festival in place of Jesus Christ. Children are born and socialized in this context and therefore tend to naturalize, even as adults, such consumerism and awareness christmas.
Thus, there is a manipulation feeling and output values ​​in order to increase the consumer market. Some specific sectors earn more with this process and create habits, desires, manufactured for this time, as the "Christmas dinner", toys, decoration, certain foods (panettone, peru, nuts, etc.). This produces a false sense of euphoria and joy for some, dissatisfaction and conflict for others (those who do not have money to consume). Thus, Christmas takes on a predominantly mercantile meaning in contemporary society and there is no point calls for the recovery of his religious sense, because they only have echoes in restricted circles, where the religion is still important and become material for production new merchandise and more consumption (including the Christmas symbols, but also cribs, etc.) (Viana 2002).
 The dominant values ​​of each era dominate the cultural events in general. The Christmas values ​​are just another version of axiological, dominant values. Undoubtedly, the word "values" is widely used, but few define and therefore lack clarity in their use in many cases. We understand that values ​​are what is important and meaningful to individuals and there are authentic values ​​such as freedom and creativity, historical and particularistic values ​​linked to the interests of the ruling class, the axiological values ​​(VIANA, 2007). The Christmas values ​​in its current configuration, are apparently axionômicos (authentic) because preach solidarity and fraternity, making them values. However, on closer examination, in the context of capitalist society, the discourse of solidarity and fraternity only disguises a competitive world in which those who will make more purchases and realize the consumption of the most expensive and desirable goods, and marked by various social conflicts , making these words the manifestation of pseudo-values, because they are subordinate and deleted by the dominant values. The existence of pseudo-values ​​just shows the hypocrisy prevailing in modern society.
The solidarity, or fraternity, is a axionômico value, authentic, because the human being, as a social being, is the psychic need for association with other human beings, not only in the sense of being together but also through a community in which there relations harmonious social. In the Christmas period, many claim to solidarity as a value and some even seek to practice it, is only in the narrow family circle, whether through charity, among other ways. However, this is just one day in the year, fulfilling a role to strengthen the rest of the year marked by competition and conflict. That is, its manifestation occurs within certain relationships that are conflictual, competitive, and only once a year, serving to renew the common practices rather than actually questioning them and it shows that are subordinated to other values, are permanent and dominant, causing sporadic manifestation of this solidarity is enhanced axiology.
Literature, film and other art forms are vehicles Reproduction of these pseudo-values. Of course at the time or their producers, could actually be a manifestation of their values, but this is not the case for most people today. From the classic "Christmas Tales" by Charles Dickens and its various film adaptations to the Frank Capra films, especially "Happiness can not be bought," money and greed are presented as disvalues ​​or as secondary values ​​in front of family, Friends, solidarity.
Overcoming this mercantile, consumerist festivity involves radical social change, in which the world of the commodity is replaced by the world of humans and axiological values ​​are replaced by axionômicos values.

References

DICKENS, Charles. Christmas tale. Rio de Janeiro: Ediouro, 2009.

VIANA, Nildo. The Meaning of Christmas. In Capitalism, Psychoanalysis and Everyday. Goiania: Germinal Editions, 2002.

VIANA, Nildo. Values ​​in Modern Society. Brasilia: Thesaurus, 2007.

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Ethics and Intellectual Authorship

Ethics and Intellectual Authorship

Nildo Viana

"The author is not a merchant or owner, but a creator, a human being produces his works to fulfill their potential. "

The problem of intellectual authorship is usually approached from the perspective of copyright. A few times the issue of intellectual authorship is approached from a broader and important perspective which is that of ethics. It is understood by ethics not morals but the fundamental values ​​that must accompany any humanist and libertarian conception, that is, we are referring to certain ethics as it does not consider that there is only one ethical (VIANA, 2000). So the question is how the libertarian ethics addresses the issue of intellectual authorship.

The so-called "copyright" come from a conception of intellectual production as if it were a property or merchandise. The author in this case stands as an owner or merchant. The product is a commodity or property which can be used by others if purchased or authorized. Copyright is the most explicit form of the bourgeois conception of intellectual authorship. Respect for copyright means or payment for a good or else the authorization for use of a property.

From the perspective of a libertarian or humanistic ethics, the question arises differently. The author is not a merchant or owner, but a creator, a human being who produces his works to realize its potential. The author is the one who creates, produces a particular work. His work is an objectification of the author. The creator manifests itself through his creature, and therefore everyone must recognize who is the creator of the creature. It is not, in this case, commercial or proprietary right, but identification between author and work.

In this sense, "as long as the source," that is, as long as we recognize the author of the work (this is the "main source", and the location of "publication" is a secondary source, the disclosure of which is useful, but not is part of the issue of intellectual authorship), is guaranteed the ethics of humanistic perspective. Therefore, there is no sense in certain academic journals require the author's permission to publish his work in other media outlet to reserve for themselves the notorious "copyright". Copyright so should be abolished? The answer would be positive as long as you think of a global social transformation. However, within the framework of the current society, in which the intellectual and artistic productions are "goods", then the copyright still have a copyright protection function, because otherwise, some could publish and sell as a commodity the work of others without even needing your permission.

The mastermind generates, in capitalist society, the copyright. The problem occurs when it reverses this logic, when the copyright overlap intellectual authorship, as in the case of someone "buy the copyright" of the work of others and this "miss" their "rights", which reveals, simultaneously, alienation and commodification.

Similarly, the form of an ethical perspective, the author should follow the precepts pointed out by Marx: "the writer must earn money to live and write, but in no case shall live and write to make money" (Marx and Engels , 1986). There is the ethics of non-writer on the writer, which should lead to the recognition of intellectual authorship, and ethics of the author towards the reader, recognizing the latter as a human being and not as a consumer.

References

Marx, Karl and Engels, Friedrich. On Art and Literature. Sao Paulo: Global, 1986.

VIANA, Nildo. Philosophy and His Shadow. Goiania: Germinal Editions, 2000.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

The Contemporary Effects

The Contemporary Effects

Nildo Viana *


The concept of contemporary is widely used but poorly defined. Its use is usually descriptive, chronological, without having a theoretical basis. Such use is marked by a weakness typical of arbitrary classifications and superficial periodization, which can only be overcome through a theoretical foundation. To overcome this a theoretical basis is necessary. The objective of this paper is precisely to contribute to the constitution of this theoretical base and from there to reconsider the concept of contemporaneity.
Before that, however, it must clarify the difference between the concepts of modern and contemporary. Modernity is a broad concept, which refers to the historical period of validity of modern society. Thus, modern society is the same as capitalist society and modernity the same as capitalism. The contemporary term, in turn, refers, in the ordinary sense, it is the same time as talking, expressing the present time. But the problem is that he understands what is the definition of "current time". From this discussion it is possible to point to some of the determinations and characteristics of contemporaneity, including the effects of contemporary, especially presenteeism, a perception of reality that ends up being a mental cage of individuals who have difficulty in seeing the historicity of his time and hegemonic conceptions in this historic moment.
The problem of periodization
In school history, still uses the periodization marked by "ages": Old, Middle, Modern and Contemporary. This periodization, as well as poor language and pre-theoretical, does not explain much, and homogenizing the social and spatial differences taking as a criterion a little grounded temporal boundaries and taking the case of Western Europe. Other periodizations did not go beyond the superficiality and social appear, such as those that are based in the institutional political history to periodize the story of a country.
However, the periodization of historiography deserves a discussion, that not everyone who is concerned with the theoretical and methodological issues of this discipline is occupied or gave due importance. When Van Der Pot stated that "the division of history into periods is the quintessence of the whole conception of history" (quoted. Dujovne, 1959, p. 271), was exaggerating, but at the same time, warning of a necessary discussion and underachieved among historians, precisely those who are dedicated to the study of history. It will occupy in the pre-scientific timeline, preview historiográfica, pre-Marxist, as denoted by the Besselar (1979) as "mythological" and "Bible". We also may not, for reasons of space, a detailed analysis of several other periodization, but only to refute the most common, periodization quatripartite ages. The almost non-existent discussion on the issue of human history periodization in contemporary times is something curious and shows how the historiography is a time of intellectual lethargy.
The distinction made by Van Der Pot, following terminology Wildeband between periodization founded in nomothetic and ideographic divisions, serves for a general observation. The periodization ideographic is not based on a law of history, which is precisely what characterizes the nomothetic periodization (Dujovne, 1959). The first are the basis of arbitrary and empiricists periodizations, while the latter are the basis of the classical positivist periodization. We need to add a third form of periodization that breaks with the ideology of knowledge based on the separation between subject and object, metaphysical separation (VIANA, 2007). Ideology, actually the reality and consciousness really are separate, but it is a separation due to the fact it expresses certain values ​​and class interests that is content to reproduce the social appear. The dominance is reinforced by the illusion. In this sense, the unity between reality and consciousness is possible starting from the proletarian perspective, as does Marxism, which means that from a history of theory it is possible to establish a factual basis for a history of periodization of humanity. Thus, the Marxist theory of history is the basis for a timeline that breaks simultaneously with empiricism and rationalism, or, according to the constructs of the dominant ideology, with subjectivism and objectivism.
Pagès conducted an analysis of the issue of periodization inspired by Marxism. Human history periodization The four ages is considered by Pagès as absurd and it puts two reasons for this: firstly, it is a chronological arbitrariness, the years of beginning and end of an age are not significant to the development of world history ; Secondly, such period is limited to European case (Pages, 1983). In addition to the intrinsic defects of the division by age, there is also the additional problem and not explained the so-called "Contemporary Age" which has no justification. Contemporary Age is an expression, as Spengler said, "ridiculous and desperate" (quoted. RAMA, 1968).
Thus we see that humanity's history of division into "ages" is limited, problematic and without theoretical foundation. This scheme, which was initially tripartite (Ages Old, Middle and Modern) became quadripartite (Ages Old, Middle, Modern and Contemporary). The contemporary addition is as arbitrary and meaningless when the division as a whole.
This simplistic and merely qualifying conception was theoretically overcome by the Marxist theory of history, which through a non-metaphysical theory of reality began to periodize human history from the succession of modes of production. This periodization, whose outline was produced by Marx (Marx and Engels, 2002; Marx, 1983), and developed by some of his followers (PAGÈS, 1983; DHOQUOIS, 1975) and deformed by others, shows based on a theory of history and the real and concrete history, as humans historically produced. So we, in the European case, the simple societies, slave society, feudal society and capitalist society. This characterizes what is referred to as modernity. How capitalism is not over, then nothing after the modern, except on cloudy and fictional world of post-structuralist ideology, ideologically called "postmodern". So what's the point of contemporary expression?
What is contemporary?
We can say that, broadly speaking, contemporary is synonymous with modern, capitalist. Thus, modern society and modern society would be the same. However, strictly speaking, we can put the contemporary as a modern stage, the current era of modernity, capitalism. In this sense, the contemporary is the latest stage of capitalism. Here we enter again to the question of periodization. The periodization of human history is a sticking point and the solution is in the Marxist theory of history. The history of capitalism, in turn, also has a problematic character. It needs to avoid arbitrary and limited periodizations with those that exist in relation to the history of humanity, a theoretical basis for a proper periodization.
The theoretical basis to carry out a periodization of capitalism is the theory of accumulation schemes. This theory of the capitalism of Marx's theory, which demonstrated the dynamic of capitalist accumulation and allowed subsequent developments in other researchers. We will here make an analysis and description of certain periodizations ideological character of capitalism, like Rostow (1965) or others that carry in them the lack of a theoretical foundation. We will also not put the genesis of the concept of accumulation regime and not the works of Benakouche (1980) and the regulation school which will be the first to use more systematically this notion and present their definition.
The refusal of one or another definition points to the need for an alternative. In this sense, we define a regime of accumulation by a certain link between work organization, state form and international relations (VIANA, 2003; VIANA, 2009), ie certain crystallization of power relationships between social classes manifest these social processes, guarantor of a certain form of capital accumulation. The organization of work under capitalism means an established form, hegemonic imposition of the capitalist class over the working class of certain forms of labor relations marked by exploitation and fight the production process. The state forms express the state organization, form taken by capitalist domination at any given historical moment to allow the reproduction of capitalism, is therefore the expression of class struggle in the wide society. International relations, in turn, expressed as the national bourgeoisie enforces its interests in the face of other modes of production or national bourgeoisie, which manifests itself primarily through the exploitation of classes in certain places.
At each stage of capitalist development, a new accumulation regime replaces the old, which means a change in these three elements, forming a new regime of accumulation. The change in the regime of accumulation, in turn, generates changes in other social relations, such as ideologies, institutions, the representations, the culture in general. Capitalist society, after the period of primitive accumulation of capital, now, in the imperialist capitalist countries, the following regimes of accumulation: extensive (18th century until the late 19th century), intensive (from the late 19th century until the Second World War ), intensive-extensive or conjugate (the Post-World War II until the late 20th century) and integral (the late 20th century to the present).
From this theory, we define the contemporary present stage of capitalism, marked by the establishment of full accumulation regime. This is established from the 80s and characterized by productive restructuring, neo-liberalism and neo-imperialism, which causes cultural, ideological and political changes and draw up a resistance movement which has a range of policies and organizations trends, and the so-called "movement anti-globalization "was the best-known expression and new demonstrations and riots point to the continuation of the struggle and opposition to the existing concentration camp world.
The Contemporary Effects
Thus, the social changes generate discursive these changes and reinforce those. Productive restructuring and expansion of Toyotism as a form of work organization, neo-liberalism and neo-imperialism mark the formation of new ideologies and constructs, such as "flexibility", "flexibility", "minimal state", "zero tolerance"; "Globalization," "multiculturalism," "identity," "gender", etc. A newspeak is incorporated and begins to circulate and reproduce, and behind the new language, especially when it can be generalized (which usually occurs thanks to support from governments, foundations, etc.), end up imposing a certain way of conceiving the reality.
New ideologies emerge as the ideology of globalization, immaterial labor, the end of history, the end of the nation-state, post-structuralism. These ideologies take different perspectives and ways for representing countries, sectors, classes, class fractions and social groups, which are different. The dominant political ideology is neoliberalism and old ideologues raised as J. Rawls, F. Hayek, among others, live with the newly converted, as Norberto Bobbio and others.
The poststructuralist ideology turned academic fashion and is divided into different currents, some so-called "left", others more conservative, and brings together thinkers like Foucault, Derrida, Baudrillard, Deleuze, Guatari, Negri, Lyotard and many others. Such ideology ends up having resonance in the academic world and promotes various fads and fashions that become hegemonic, including creating academic consumer market niches, linked in turn to other niche markets. This is the case of gender ideology, derived from post-structuralist ideology (VIANA, 2006), which is linked to consumer sectors linked to the feminist movement and the academic world, as cultural consumption and many other examples could be cited.
This process creates the effects of the contemporary, that is, the pressure of ideologies and concepts that become hegemonic and dominant at this time, as the ideology of globalization and post-structuralism. Thus, the individual is caught in contemporary times, children who are born or younger who are involved with the school world will now be submitted to this cultural and suffocating world. Just as the individual in modern society does not realize the historicity of social relations under which he lives, judging normal, natural, universal and eternal, the individual in contemporary capitalism given that this is the last stage of capitalist development, which now on only developments and progress occur.
The language and ideas become contemporary. Social relations seem to confirm the ideologies and misleading representations created at this time and so there is a mutual reinforcement of social relationships seen in their appearance and ideologies and misleading representations. Sociability and mentality reproduce and reinforce each other, both in its essential elements (VIANA, 2008A), as derived from the changes of regimes of accumulation. New everyday representations emerge (the political correctness, relativism, culturalism, etc.) and new ideologies from them are systematized, turning them into science, philosophy, theology. The return movement also occurs because the produced ideologies end up influencing the daily representations. The main effect of the contemporary is imprisoning the individual at a time and blind you to its historicity and the weakness of ideologies and misleading representations that become suffocating culture.
As a result, criticism and utopia are marginalized or assimilated. The critique of capitalist society and its contemporary manifestation is difficult because many leave the critical perspective to ally to fads, either opportunism or personal interest, either by the difficulty of realizing the historical movement and the ideological and illusory character of the new fads . The marginalization of criticism, in turn, facilitates the marginalization of utopia, that is, the radical critique accompanied by a project of social transformation. Since the end of ideologies (the history of socialism, etc.), which are the most direct, to the pseudocríticas who say that capitalism has been overcome and now it is only necessary reforms or adjustments, as in negrista ideology (and Lazzarato NEGRI, 2001), the key idea is that utopia should be abandoned.
There is also a critical deformation, in which it produces isolation social issues and groups and interests and is a true workhorse around it without questioning its roots, the whole, and without an alternative project, and only manifestation of opportunism and group interests that supposedly themselves as oppressed and take on authoritarian practices and achievement of competitive advantage in capitalism.
But there is another effect of the contemporary. This is the effect generated by the difficulty of perceiving specificity and historicity of the era in which we live. The perception of the characteristics of ideologies, the illusory everyday representations and character of a particular era is facilitated after the events occurred. But the contemporary event is always more difficult to detect than the events of the previous season. Thus, understanding the illusory representations of feudal society, especially the illusory character of their representations, it is facilitated in the later historical period, but difficult for his contemporaries. Understand capitalism in the era of conjugate accumulation regime and all ideologies, representations, etc. (social democracy, Keynesian, etc.), accompanying him is relatively easy at the present time, but not during the term of that period. This creates the presenteeism, both in everyday representations as in the elaborate cultural productions (ideologies and ends up influencing even the revolutionary conceptions).
This perception, in the case of researchers, either retrospectively or simultaneously, can be facilitated or hindered depending on which class outlook and theoretical-methodological base breaks to analyze it. Thus, starting from autoilusões the season, one can hardly realize its meaning, its features, its trends. In contemporary times, would, for example, try to understand contemporary capitalism through the ideology of globalization or "postmodernism", two autoilusões (VIANA, 2009) that explain nothing and obscure the understanding of the current reality and of themselves as ideological expressions of historical moment of capitalism. Or the post-structuralist ideologies that isolate phenomena, oppression, social, fights. This is noticeable even by those not part of a Marxist perspective:
One of the most disturbing consequences and less detached from the particularism that pervades public life in Spain - and elsewhere too - is that it proves contagious. It means an extraordinary narrowing of vision, reducing the confined space, the artificial portions of reality, sometimes extraordinary smallness, isolated from their actual context. This leads to a dangerous myopia, to a narrow perception, which in extreme cases can be limited to the navel. Such a view has no future and deletes the entire project; concentrated in a small range of questions, which may be insignificant, about which is discussed in endless mode. It would be interesting to evaluate their place in the media sensitive issues that could be resolved in a few lines or a few minutes of radio and television (Marias, 2003, p. 58).
However, each accumulation system which replaces the other hand, the accumulation of difficulties become greater. In this context, social conflicts also become stronger, even if sporadic, and there is the strengthening of resistance and right-wing reaction. The rebirth of fascism, neo-Nazism, mysticism ally rightsism and racism, are strengthened, increasing the possibility at the time of the current accumulation regime crisis, the return of barbarism. Including even some endurance events (such as sectors of feminism and other social movements) end up playing semifascistas aspects. This is reinforced by the emergence and activism of a new type of right-wing intellectual, the semi-fascist, defending capitalism at every opportunity and with every possible cruelty. Beside that, however, also open loopholes for the resurgence of criticism and utopia, as seen in the popular uprisings in Argentina, Mexico, France and new groupings, movements, trends (anti-globalization movement, anarchism, libertarian Marxism, etc. .) and in the riots and more recent demonstrations in several countries.
The re-emergence of anarchism and the resumption of marginalized thinkers as representatives of the Situationist International (despite its limitations), the council communism (Anton Pannekoek, Otto Rühle, Paul Mattick, Karl Korsch and others) show that the historical needs They do recover thinkers who have actually been on the side of truth, that is, criticism and utopia, which helps to avoid mistakes of the past. However, the influence of post-structuralism is strong and ends up producing a deformation of that libertarian thought and the transformation of these concepts, expressions of past struggles in specific contexts, in dogmas end up being one split element and difficulty in advance of struggles.
Thus, eclecticism, on the one hand, and dogmatism on the other, are the forms of invasion of revolutionary consciousness by pseudorrevolucionárias concepts that end up generating many unnecessary conflicts and controversies and that help divide the revolutionary bloc rather than contributing to its unification . It also ends up having strong effects on social movements and the labor movement, because besides the direct influence of ideologies and bourgeois and bureaucratic conceptions, there are still within the revolutionary movement itself, ambiguities that end up hurting the advance of proletarian and revolutionary struggle in general and facilitating reproduction of ideology such influence.
The root of eclecticism is the social influence of ideologies and everyday misleading representations, created by capital and its world and national power (communicational capital, capital editorial, universities, international foundations, etc.) and reproduced by the auxiliary class of bourgeoisie (especially bureaucracy and intelligentsia), and the pseudestesia of "novelty", "youth", "modern" or "contemporary" of such views, reinforced by the criticism, but still hegemonic, an evolutionary conception of knowledge, according to which the latter idea, for being the last, would be "true" or better than the others. This weakens the strength of the revolutionary theory and existing oppositional culture. Social mobility and academic career interests are also strong in this process because the eclecticism lets say revolutionary at the same time please the conservative academic peers, that is, seeking to please Greeks and Trojans.
The root of the dogma is more varied, going from one reaction to the eclectic, passing people with psychological imbalance (which is not missing in the previous case and in all cases, but here is a certain stiffness and the need for attachment to a belief generates dogmatic position and its origin has to do with the psychic universe of certain individuals), little research-reading-reflection, to the process of identification with thinkers rigidly (and generally taking on more rigidity than the authors themselves), as well as sense of belonging to certain traditions of thought believed to be pure and above reproach. This generates a "situationism", "councilism" and dogmatic anarchism.
The presenteeism is so strong that imposes itself not only for the privileged classes and conservatives in general, but spreads throughout society and influences even the oppositional culture, which obviously lives with exceptions, but are not quantitatively significant, although radicalization and the rise of struggles allow a breakthrough in this regard. Hence it is important to understand that contemporary capitalism creates a world of ideologies and illusory everyday representations that seeks to describe, explain, and even challenge the contemporary social relations, but, deep down, is a set of illusory forms of perception of this historical moment and so obscurante creates a layer between individuals and the concrete reality.
Individuals end up getting stuck in the contemporary, both by concrete social relations (and derivatives of these interests), as the suffocating cultural world generated by it. It is therefore necessary to overcome presenteeism, understand that this is not the best, the correct, the end of history, progress, etc., and, similarly, that its cultural manifestations are not the truth, the final the correct, fair. The contemporary effects are the hallmarks of this in our minds and actions, both of which can be removed. The presenteeism reveals "falsehood winds" (Marías, 2003) and is required to overcome it, so that it becomes more likely to overcome the society that creates illusions and dehumanization.
Final considerations
Overcoming presenteeism depends on the class struggle and especially of the proletarian struggle. However, we are involved in the class struggles in general and in particular proletarian struggle (whether or not workers), because each decision, position and action, as well as cultural production reinforces either existing trend. Korsch (1973) was insightful to say that the class struggle occurs everywhere. The full regime of accumulation means the capital of the imposition of certain social relations and the common struggles, everyday, get along in this process, and the extraordinary struggles point to questioning these social relations. The common struggles have only sense if articulated and boosters of extraordinary struggles.
So it is important to understand the contemporary, full accumulation regime, and at the same time overcome the ideologies and everyday misleading representations to him. Understanding the full regime of accumulation takes theoretical importance, generating a fundamental tool for understanding contemporary society and providing elements to overcome the abstract and ideological conceptions of others as well as descriptivism.
No doubt, you can not disregard the importance of the history of capitalism periodization and critical reflection on the contemporary as well as recognition of the difficulty of overcoming the naturalization and the illusions of the time. Understanding the history of mankind and capitalism are important elements to overcome presenteeism, to think about a future society project. In this context, understanding the opposition as a product of today's world, with its spectacular fights (Debord, 1997), which become, simultaneously, commercial fights.
One should also point out that the lack of understanding of contemporary capitalism is an obstacle to understanding the historicity of capitalism and contemporary with their struggles and social processes. This reinforces the importance of the analytical process of capitalism not develop tragic actions, namely those aimed at a goal and end up with a result not, as in the famous Greek tragedy "Oedipus Rex". The case of Oedipus is an example of what it means a partial awareness of reality. To learn through an oracle that his fate would kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus flees his hometown and move away from their parents to avoid such a future. The oracle did not reveal the whole truth, only part of it because it did not inform Oedipus that he was adopted and that the prophecy was in relation to his real parents, he did not even know. This partial consciousness, or half-truth, and it caused his flight he is faced with his real father, without knowing it, and ends up killing him and then to get to another city marries her real mother. Their action was to prevent an event that, deep down, was achieved thanks to this same action to refuse partial consciousness. If it had a broader consciousness, not flee the city and would not have realized his tragic action. That's what thousands held today, because they have a partial awareness of reality, end up thinking that they are fighting for a new society and end up hindering it is, among other possibilities.
In short, a historical perception of reality is needed, combined with a revolutionary critique, as presented by Marx and his authentic followers, and overcoming of presenteeism and its effects on intellectual production. This is to realize that the historical consciousness of capitalism and the historical consciousness of the regimes of accumulation is an important element in the struggle of the proletariat and social transformation. In each accumulation regime, although it is difficult to perceive it critically, the theoretical representatives of the revolutionary class advance in the understanding of time, as it did in extensive regime of accumulation (Marx and to a lesser degree and without theoretical rigor few others); the intensive regime of accumulation (Pannekoek, Korsch, etc.); in conjunction accumulation regime (Guillerm and Bourdet, etc.). The same needs to be done in the contemporary world, which means that it is necessary to overcome dogmatism and the mechanical reproductions of thinkers of the past (because besides the context in producing and bringing specific elements that are no longer the same, there is also the need to perception of its limitations and problems, if any, in their intellectual production). What usually occurs is specific advances in aspects of the new regime of accumulation (state analysis, culture, etc.) because the overall design is more difficult. Not to mention the obstacles represented by pseudomarxismo, as in the example in Mandel's analysis (1978) on the "late capitalism" to explain the conjugate accumulation regime.
One must keep in mind that the historical consciousness of a regime of accumulation is obliterated by the hegemony of the dominant conceptions and also mixtures of revolutionary concepts and dominant ideologies (anarchism and post-structuralism, for example, an example of what previously termed "eclecticism" ). That amounts, in different forms, to all intellectuals. Even some ideologues perceive and stating it.

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Kropotkin and Darwinism

Kropotkin and Darwinism

Nildo Viana *

Abstract: This paper discusses the design of Kropotkin regarding Darwinism and evolution of species. Highlights its contribution to putting the mutual aid as development factor and his critique of Social Darwinism, but points to its limitations, especially the lack of connection between Darwin and Darwinism. Thus, Kropotkin would bring a contribution to thinking about evolution, since aside their benevolent interpretation of Darwin.

Keywords: Darwinism, evolution, Mutual Aid Competition.



The work of Darwin, The Origin of Species, published in 1859, full 150 years after its publication this year, which served as a pretext for numerous compilations and texts dedicated to this work and its author. But 43 years after its first edition, it was also published the book The Mutual Support - Factor of Social Development, Piotr Kropotkin, work less well known and has not received the same academic and scientific recognition, for obvious reasons. Kropotkin's work is an important contribution to the critique of Darwinism and therefore deserves to be reconsidered. Your review of mutual aid as evolution factor is an important contribution to rethink the evolutionary process, as well as a pioneering work, following the path of others who were beyond Darwinism, as Espinas, Kessler, among others, the Kropotkin himself cites. Therefore, we will highlight the relationship between Kropotkin and Darwinism, showing the interesting points of kropotkiniana work in their opposition to Darwinism and also showing their pain points.
Darwin or Darwinism?
The first point of Kropotkin's work is in its opposition to the Darwinists, much more than in relation to Darwin. This is an important point to discuss the relations of Kropotkin with Darwinism. Kropotkin admits that, at first caught his attention the "extraordinary hardness of the struggle for existence" that occurred "periodically" thanks to "natural causes", because of massive poverty in vast territories. But Kropotkin also states that where there was plenty he did not realize the "cruel struggle for existence" that most Darwinists presented as the main active force in the evolution of the animal world. It was thanks to this, it said, which he dedicated to the problem of natural limitations multiplying the animal population, compared to the struggle for survival means. For him, the latter manifests itself between species and also within them, but without having the same importance as the natural obstacles already alluded. That's why I began to doubt the "terrible" struggle for survival within the same species, as supported by Darwinists as well as its importance in the emergence of new species.
Here we have the key to understanding Kropotkin opposition to Darwinism and, at the same time, his indulgence of Darwin. The distinction between the thesis postulated by Darwin and postulated by "Darwinists" is an important element to understand Kropotkin's position on Darwinism.
In his analysis of Darwinism, Kropotkin demonstrate their sympathies by theses Espinas, one French sociologist Durkheim, and the Russian biologist Karl Kessler. Both highlighted the solidarity and mutual aid as important elements to explain the evolution of species. Kessler presented a lecture at the University of St. Petersburg, in 1880, entitled "On the Law of Mutual Aid," which Kropotkin took notice and began to defend it. He judged that the theses of Kessler threw new light on the question of evolution. Kessler said that in addition to the law of struggle for existence there is also the law of mutual aid, the latter playing a more important role in the evolutionary process of species. According to Kropotkin:
This hypothesis, which actually was just an offshoot of the ideas expressed by Darwin himself in The Descent of Man, it seemed to me so correct and such great importance that since I familiarize it (in 1883), I began to collect materials to further develop this idea about which Kessler touched very lightly on his speech and did not live to develop because died in 1881. (Kropotkin, 2009, p.13).
Kropotkin starts from the idea that mutual aid was included in the theses of Darwin and were Darwinists who unilaterally emphasized the "struggle for existence" and "survival of the fittest". Kropotkin says that at the time of writing, we started to speak both "hard and cruel struggle for life" that apparently performs "every animal against all the others, each wild against the other wild, and every civilized man against all his fellow countrymen, "that such" opinions have become a sort of dogma, religion of the educated society "and this has required a great number of facts contrary to these assertions. The Kropotkin texts just emerged in opposition to the article by Thomas Huxley, entitled The Struggle for Existence: A Program. According to Kropotkin,
Although he was using the term in its strict sense, especially given its specific objectives, he warned his followers not to commit the error (which he himself seems to have made a day) to overestimate this sense. In The Descent of Man, Darwin wrote some memorable pages to illustrate its proper meaning, the broad sense. He noted that in many animal societies, the struggle between individuals for the livelihoods disappear, that this fight is replaced by cooperation and that the substitution results in the development of intellectual and moral powers that ensure the species the best conditions for survival. He suggested that in such cases the fittest are not the physically strongest, nor the most cunning, but those who learn to associate in order to support each other, whether strong or weak, the community's well-being. (Kropotkin, 2009, p. 20).
Here we have the problem of interpretation that Kropotkin performs Darwin's work. Kropotkin separates Darwin Darwinists from two basic considerations: a) Darwin uses the phrase "struggle for survival" (or for life, existence) in a broad sense and figured and Darwinists in a strict sense; b) Darwin sustain the role of mutual aid, cooperation in the evolutionary process and not Darwinian. However, this interpretation is quite problematic. According to Darwin:
I must stress that I use the term struggle for survival in a broad and metaphorical sense, which implies mutual relations of dependence on organic beings, and, what is more important, not only the individual's life, and his ability and success in leaving descendants. It is stated that two carnivorous animals, in times of famine, fighting against each other in search of food necessary for their survival. But it will come to mean a plant on the edge of a desert, fighting for survival against the lack of water, although it was more accurate to say that their survival depends on the humidity. It might be said more precisely a plant which annually produces one million seeds, one of which, on average, enough to develop and mature in turn, struggle with the plants of the same species, or species different, they cover the ground. The mistletoe is dependent on the apple and a few other trees; now, it is only in the figurative sense it can be said that fight against these trees, because if large numbers of parasites are established on the same tree, it languishes and dies; however, it can be said that many mistletoes, living together on the same line and producing seeds, they fight against each other. How are the birds that spread the seeds of the mistletoe, their survival depends on them, and will it be said, figuratively, that mistletoe struggle with other plants that have fruit, because it matters to every plant bring the birds to eat the fruits it produces, to spread the seeds. Employment, therefore, for convenience, the general term struggle for survival in different directions merge with each other (DARWIN, 1979, p. 69).
The broad and metaphorical sense provided by Darwin is, as shown by the above passage, in the sense that it is not straight fight between two animals, but something more subtle, as can be seen in plants. The broad sense of the "fight for survival" in Darwin is well understood by the term competition, which is a characteristic feature of capitalist sociability that Darwin transfers to the animal and plant world (MARCO, 1987; VIANA, 2001; VIANA, 2003; VIANA, 2009). Thus, the direction provided by Darwin is the same provided by Darwinists and in this sense, the interpretation of Kropotkin is wrong.
The other responsible element in the indulgence of Kropotkin with Darwin is the idea that this would have booked a role for mutual aid in the evolutionary process in his book The Descent of Man, which is not done by Darwinists. But Kropotkin again is wrong, because for Darwin mutual aid is only one form taken by certain groups to fight for survival, ie, it is only a subordinate element to a higher and determining principle. Are the advantages of "life in society" beings that make them live together and develop feelings, including sympathy and moral sense (Darwin, 1974).
In society the feeling of pleasure is probably an extension of affection towards parents and children, since the social instinct seems to have arisen as a result of diurnal permanence of young people with parents and this extension can be attributed in part to habit, but primarily to natural selection. For those animals that were overcome by living in an association, individuals who earned the greatest pleasure of life in society would have been more fortunate in escaping from various dangers, while those least cared for their comrades and lived solitary would have perished in excess ( DARWIN, 1974, p. 130).
This mutual help, however, occurs "almost exclusively in relation to men of the same tribe" and the assault is not a crime in relation to other tribes. According to Darwin:
No tribe could stay together if murder, the robbery and treason were common; consequently such crimes within the limits of a tribe are subject to eternal infamy, but do not call such a feeling beyond these limits. An American Indian feel very pleased with himself and honored by others, when skinning a man from another tribe; one Dyak cuts off the head of a harmless person and takes it as a trophy. The killing of newborns was widespread in very large scale in the world without encountering disapproval; Infanticide, especially of girls, has been judged useful to the tribe, or at least not harmful (DARWIN, 1974, p. 142).
Thus, Darwin argued that mutual aid really exists, but never would have the same importance as competition, and is posing as something subordinate to the utilitarian principle and restricted groups, surrounded by the more general principle of competition. Interestingly, Kropotkin that will refute the arguments about cannibalism and infanticide to support his thesis that mutual aid is essential to the evolutionary process, did not realize that what Darwinists spoke were already in Darwin. Kropotkin also not looked on racist and sexist views presented by Darwin, as can be seen in the following excerpt:
In the wild, the infirmities of body and mind are immediately eliminated; those who survive usually have a vigorous state of health. We civilized men, on the other hand, make every effort to stop the process of elimination; we build asylums for the insane, maimed and sick; instituted laws for the poor and our doctors exercise the most of your skill to save the life of anyone at the last moment. There is reason to believe that vaccination has saved a large number of those who, by their weak physical constitution, would not have stood in time to smallpox. Thus, the weak members of civilized societies propagate their kind. None of those who have devoted themselves to the creation of domestic animals will doubt that this can be highly dangerous for the human race. It is surprising to see how quickly the lack of care, or improper care, leads to degeneration of a domestic race; but, with the exception of man, it is rare that anyone is so ignorant as to allow the worst animals to breed own (DARWIN, 1974, p. 162).
Kropotkin says in this passage Darwin "made his way back to the Malthusian leaven" after writing passages that refute the narrow Malthusian theory of the struggle for survival, which, however, he does not show and not in any statement in this work, unless the passage about mutual aid, subject to the struggle for survival.
Thus, Kropotkin was condescending to Darwin for not interpreting his work properly and not realized his racist and sexist character. This may have been derived from a projective reading much more than a quest to understand the logic of the author's thought. Also the intellectual authority of Darwin, whose ideological hegemony in the natural sciences soon became almost unquestionably, have reinforced this critical sense of suspension process. The elements already present in Darwin and then developed or simply reproduced by Darwinian are thus ignored by Kropotkin that it attaches only to the latter.
However, these observations do not negate the merits of the work of Kropotkin and his principle in favor of mutual aid, cooperation as an important element in the evolutionary process. Undoubtedly, simply extend his criticism of Darwinism to the work of Darwin that this problem is resolved. However, this also does not nullify some other problems in the work of this thinker, as put forward.
Competition or Mutual Aid?
Criticism that Kropotkin presents to Darwinism are applicable to Darwin. But Kropotkin's argument is more focused on presenting an alternative to Darwinian thought than point out the flaws and problems of theory, although these things get confused at any given time. Kropotkin rejects the idea of ​​"struggle for existence" as a fundamental principle of evolution and puts the important role of cooperation in this process. Most of Kropotkin's work is dedicated to showcasing the process of mutual aid in the animal and human world.
Through extensive number of own observations and other researchers, Kropotkin search prove the role of mutual aid in the evolutionary process. He works with a wealth of information on birds, fish, insects and other animal species. Kropotkin resume K. Kessler, who challenged the abusive use of the term "struggle for existence", losing sight completely "other law", the mutual aid, perhaps more important than the law of "struggle for existence". Kessler said the need to leave offspring unites inevitably animals, "the animals of all classes, especially the upper, shall provide mutual assistance." To prove this thesis, Kessler has provided numerous examples from the life of beetles, birds and some mammals.
Kropotkin also supports this view and says:
Examples of mutual aid between termites, ants and bees are known as the lay reader, mainly through the works of Romanes, L. Büchner and John Lubbock, I can limit my comments to a few allusions. Considering an anthill, we see not only that all the work done - the offspring creation, search of food, construction, care of aphids, etc. - Follows the principles of voluntary mutual help, as we must also recognize, as Forel, that the basic feature of life for many species of ants is the fact and the obligation of each of them to share their food, already swallowed and partly digested with all community members who request it. Two ants belonging to different species or if nests avoid hostile to meet coincidence; but if they belong to the same nest or the same colony, approaching, communicating exchanging some antennas movements and "if one is hungry or thirsty, especially if the other well-fed [...] immediately asks for food. " The individual to whom the request is made never refuses; opens its mandibles, takes a proper position, and regurgitates a drop of transparent fluid which is licked by the hungry ant (Kropotkin, 2009, p. 26).
Thus, Kropotkin devotes two chapters of his book to demonstrate the mutual aid among animals, based on observations of researchers and their own observations, made in Siberia, 1862-1866, including living among the natives of this region. Also devotes a chapter to the "savages" and another to "barbarians," and two chapters on "medieval" and two of "modern society", showing in all, the role of mutual aid in its development. The set of information that it works is extremely extensive and so we will only mention the case of its refutation of that infanticide among the "savages" and its relation to the law of the struggle for survival, as advocated by Darwinists (and Darwin although Kropotkin not recognize):
Primitive people can not create all their children. However, it was observed that as soon manage to increase their regular livelihood, they immediately abandon the practice of infanticide. In general, parents meet that obligation reluctantly, and once obtained material conditions, resort to all kinds of deal to save the life of their newborn. (Kropotkin, 2009, p. 26).
Mutual assistance between the barbarians and the medieval town also reinforces the thesis kropotkiniana the role of mutual aid in the evolutionary process, although in the latter case, their approach is very idyllic, as some commentators pointed out. Undoubtedly, the feudal society was a class society, founded on exploitation and domination, and therefore could not have as a fundamental principle mutual aid, but the class struggle. Obviously, between the exploited classes, and this was no different with the servants, there was cooperation and this is part of history. Kropotkin is not unaware of the exploration process and puts the opposition between the feudal lords and serfs, but seeks to show that the first failed to destroy the commune villager, although has submitted to the feudal system of exploitation. These villagers communes remained the cooperation and the guilds and later developments, which are no longer "medieval" as Kropotkin put, but bring in other elements inherited from feudal society.
Similarly, Kropotkin contains extensive information to support the idea of ​​mutual aid in modern society. He quotes from charitable society through clubs, associations, unions, brotherhoods, to reach concrete cases, such as the slums of London, showing that despite the unfavorable conditions of life and break that modern society makes neighborly relations , children keeps mutual aid relationships and also mothers. He cites reports of pregnant women receiving support from neighboring women and the relationship of poor mothers with their children, unlike women of the wealthy classes.

For a lady of the richest classes to be able to go through a hungry and cold child in the street without noticing it, some training is required - if that's good or bad, they decide for themselves. But the mothers of the poorer classes do not have this training, they can not bear the sight of a hungry child; they have to feed it, and it's what they do. (Kropotkin, 2009, 221).
So although you may disagree with statements and interpretations of Kropotkin (sometimes with some ingenuity, to consider, for example, that the scientific community would be expression of "mutual aid" rather than interest group that maintains an internal competition and often rampant, by the power, resources and status, which is only a projection of your feelings, obliterating a little what happens concretely) he rescues the cooperation process in modern society, which is effective for most common form inside of the exploited classes.
Kropotkin therefore this that beyond the immediate struggle of isolated people, there is a struggle in common, and reproaches Darwin for not having taken into account in their analysis "natural obstacles to excessive multiplication of animals, such as drought, floods the sudden cold, epidemics, etc. ", which would show that other determinations act on the evolutionary process, as Marx had already put on another occasion (VIANA, 2009). For Kropotkin, this investigation of these factors would be necessary to determine, in its true proportions, the importance of individual struggle for life among beings belonging to the same species of animals compared to the struggle of all set against the natural obstacles and enemies of other species.
He concludes by saying that the law of the struggle for survival is not, in any way, the "dominant law of nature." The mutual aid is law of nature as much as the war of all against all, as may be inferred from the observation of bird life and mammals, among other species. Men have the inclination to help one another going back the old development of humanity's past, which developed more easily during periods of well-being and peace, but even in the most degrading conditions, as in war times of misery, oppression and calamities , the same trend continued to exist in the villages and among the poorest classes of the urban population. Kropotkin also says that all new moral doctrines and new religions come from the same source, so that humanity's moral progress is a gradual extension of the principles of mutual aid, from the primitive clan, through the nation, to reach the union of peoples.
Final considerations
This brief summary of the thought of Kropotkin about evolution and Darwinism, shows his hit in the first case and his error in the second. Thus, despite the generalization of Kropotkin can be questioned (and other determinations of the evolutionary process should be taken into account, and instead of a "general law", more specific theories for specific cases), no one can disregard their merits and have rescued the idea of ​​mutual aid as one of the determinations of evolution, especially as it relates to the human species. The work of Kropotkin was a great contribution to overcoming Darwinism process and was an expression of a different mentality, as opposed to the bourgeois, competitive and Darwinian mindset, casting light on the darkness produced by ideologies that naturalize social relations and thus justify and legitimize exploitation and domination. The reading Kropotkin today would not only be an antidote to Darwinism but also fundamental to biologists and other natural scientists to broaden their perception of reality and think about the implications of bourgeois mentality on their interpretations of life and so sketch theoretical alternatives to understand phenomena as the evolution of species.
Unfortunately, the work of Kropotkin on mutual assistance, as well as his other important works, such as his analysis of the French Revolution (Kropotkin, 1955), its proposal for a libertarian communism (Kropotkin, 1975), the anarchist communism, even in his work more problem (Kropotkin, 1970), as well as others not yet received the study and appropriate recognition. The starting point of this recognition, however, must begin this work, the Mutual Support, which has its basic ideas resumed in his later works, and already outlined in previous works (Kropotkin, 1978). This explains why to date no work of synthesis on the thought of Kropotkin to give him the amount due was not produced. This is a project to be carried out and proof that this thinker who emphasized the mutual aid deserves to be rescued.

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Capitalism and Neurosis

Capitalism and Neurosis

Nildo Viana


This essay discusses a key issue for contemporary society: the relationship between neurosis and capitalist society. Psychoanalytic studies of Freud and other psychoanalysts opened the way to think about this relationship and this leaves room to think the role of neurosis in the process of class struggles.
The first issue is to define what is neurosis and see its conditions of possibility, that is, how it is produced. There are several definitions of neurosis and, according to some of these, there are various types of neurosis. Freud, for example, distinguished defense psychoneurosis, anxiety neurosis etc. However, it does not define neurosis clearly, and most psychoanalysts later. We will here, inspiring in Karen Horney, but differentiating us from it, define neurosis as a specific psychological problem, characterized by a structural insecurity of the individual to society, which creates two major and complementary defense mechanisms: the escape and hostility.
The trail promotes isolation, restriction of contacts and friendships, inhibition. Hostility generates aggression and complements the previous frame. The neurotic individual solves your problem of structural insecurity fleeing and harassing people, which keeps one hand, a circle of people (usually family and a few friends) that serve as a refuge from contact with others and hostility to outsiders and non-elected in general. No doubt, hostility also occurs along the inner circle of contacts, but only to complement the need for security through control, which generates conflicts and aggression. This also promotes a third element that is a certain psychic rigidity, turned to escape, aggression, everyday rudeness, the search for order and everything is organized and consistent with their usual, which gives you a sense of security.
Therefore, this structural insecurity that characterizes the individual neurosis is understood and manifested through fear, which causes some researchers focus on this aspect of neurosis (Horney, 1984). The structural insecurity promotes the individual an escape will, "return to the womb," to escape the world, creating an exaggerated need for security. This promotes difficult to love, relate, exaggerated mistrust, isolation, aggression, rigidity, possessiveness. Also, due to the exaggerated need for security also promotes an excessive preoccupation with order and promotes irrational and restrictive behavior relationships in which family and related persons are elected as sufficient and unknown clearance or persons not "trusted" according to strict criteria produced in the above situation are the most important.
With regard to the emotional world, it generates restricted bonding, after it is "safe". Similarly, possessiveness ensures greater safety and irrationality of behavior and thought process that suffers the psychoanalytically was called rationalization. This creates not only conflicts with others, but also inner conflicts, because the desire for emotional relationship (in the broad sense of the word) and the difficulty in achieving this, because the search for security, creates a restrictive selectivity. This selectivity, to ensure confidence and control, just electing people more subservient, modest, less intellectualized or questioning (ie less threatening), if not usually, at least in relation to the individual neurotic.
As regards the intellectual process promotes an intellectual inhibition (which generates a certain degree of security to prevent exposure), which also produces the restriction intellectual output, since this avoids conflict and allows an illusory confidence. Thus, initiative and critical and creative ability end up being damaged and diminished. The difficulty of initiative and development of creativity, radical needs of every human being, has worsened the situation of the neurotic individual. The judgment is obliterated by the general insecurity and conflicts that can generate. This also generates a rigid thinking about everyday, affective, family issues.
This also ends up affecting the values ​​of the neurotic individual. Some values ​​end up being quite evident in this case: family, authority, subservience, order. In specific cases, of course, there may be conflicts of values ​​in these individuals, mainly depending on other determinations, as consciousness, feelings, other values, etc., that are stronger when derived from significant others to such an individual. This is due to the complex problem of the formation of values ​​in specific individuals (Viana, 2007) and the process of information and intellectual formation of the individual, among other determinations.
So the neurotic individual is always near or overt authoritarianism, possessiveness, control of people close, aggression, and when it comes to relationships outside this circle, hostility is the answer to ensure security before the threatening world, or submission and subservience that requests of others and handicapped, can do it to feel safe on the authorities and people seen as "threatening". In cases of specific individuals, the solution of submission and subservience may be more constant because of its situation in social relations, among other determinations.
However, one must keep in view that neurosis is linked to structural insecurity and no insecurity that all individuals have a greater or lesser degree, with more or less intensity depending on the context, etc. a certain insecurity. This is a structural insecurity that pervades the "personality" total individual. Thus, it is possible to think, as does Horney (1984), a "neurotic personality". Some neurotic people are so aggressive that can divert perception of his great insecurity, as well pass a false sense that they are safe and rationalize its aggressive behavior without admitting its roots linked to structural insecurity, and some of these individuals do not even have a clear aware of it.
What generates neurosis? This is an important issue to understand the question of the relation of this psychic problem with social transformation. The formation of neurosis is linked to the repressive-coercive socialization process that promotes the suppression of certain human capabilities, especially during childhood and youth, combined with a strong coercion, ie production of behaviors, ideas, feelings, etc. The repressive socialization prevents the manifestation of human potential and that, during childhood, can be extremely damaging psychologically. When repression is very strong, as is a more-repression (Viana, 2008), tends to cause psychological problems. The coercive nature of socialization can strengthen this process and, in the case of neurosis, takes a complementary and essential role.
In the case of capitalist society, socialization imposes values ​​and seeks to establish a bourgeois mentality in individuals in which the competition, the pursuit of success, wealth, power, etc., become fundamental. To accomplish this, you need discipline, studies, dedication and this overlap, in socializing led by capitalist sociability and bourgeois mentality, freedom and creativity. In short, being strong coercion, repression also will therefore be to focus intensively work (alienated) the abandonment of other activities and needs is required.
The family ends up having a key role in this process, since it is the main forum for socialization. If the values ​​of the parents point to this process of reproduction of the bourgeois mentality, so is an important element to think about the process of producing a neurotic individual. The existing repression in this case does not necessarily produce and in all cases, in individuals undergoing neurosis it. But if this is accompanied by some other determinations, it becomes increasingly likely. If the bourgeois mentality of parents is excessive, then a high degree of family collection exist (higher degree of coercion). The studies should override the fun and creativity, for example. They will only valued activities that are direct manifestations of the dominant values, and the other will be desvaloradas. This tends to be even stronger if the bonding within the family are cold and there is the depreciation of the children. Thus, affection, emotional fulfillment, is suppressed. Depreciation and disregard the son / daughter tends to generate a strong insecurity. The neurotic generally accepted the dominant values, at least partially, and in that sense takes for itself goals that are typically those of the capitalist sociability and bourgeois mentality, promoting a desire for social advancement, wealth and power:
"Without descending to details, the broad outlines of the vicious circle that arises from neurotic longing for power, prestige and possessions can be approximately indicated as follows: anxiety, hostility, respect shaken itself; longing for power and the like; increased hostility and anxiety; tendency to evade the competition (associated with trends to be underestimated); failures and discrepancies between potential and achievements (accompanied by envy); increase the greatness of ideas (for fear of jealousy); heightened sensitivity (with renewed tendency to retract); increased hostility and anxiety, which restarts again, the whole cycle "(Horney, 1984, p. 165).
This can all be enhanced by education, which by its structure tends to have a playback process of the dominant mentality and sociability. However, when this is more intense, or where the school enhances too much the competition, dominant values ​​etc., as happens in most traditional authoritative bureaucratic and education, the tendency to formation of neurotic individuals increases further.
Individual uniqueness can also strengthen this possibility. This possibility is realized when a trauma occurs, for example. It can also occur due to certain physical characteristics (natural or accidental, by themselves or by the social perception of them, such as prejudice, etc.), or even certain events, friendships, etc., act to strengthen their bases .
In short, when socialization is extremely repressive and coercive, there is a tendency to produce neurotic individuals. If this process is very intense and marked by bourgeois values ​​and do not create any other possibility of partial overcoming this situation, then the formation of neurosis in the individual is what happens. Neurosis is produced in individuals who, due to over-repression to which they are subjected, end up having a shadow, destructive energy, very powerful. However, this occurs when the individual fails to develop his persona, constructive energy, is highlighting in intellectual, artistic activities, etc. Obviously, the most-repression tends to inhibit such development in these people, however, because other determinations it is possible that the individual can overcome this tendency.
Thus, the most-repression combined with other determinations, especially a strong constraint, tends to promote the formation of neurotic individuals. Because of the social processes related alluded above there are certain sectors of society more conducive for development of neurosis. This is the case of the auxiliary classes of the bourgeoisie (bureaucracy, intelligentsia, etc.) and women. According to Schneider:
"Since social position in middle class family is based generally on the professional status (especially among employees of any kind, key employees and 'professionals') rather than on generating ownership of capital, this status can only be maintained through similar qualifications among children "(Schneider, 1977, p. 246).
Women are already more tendentiously exposed to neurosis due to women's oppression process and its repression be higher and coercion (which can be either in the direction of social competition as in seclusion for housework and child care, and this the latter case is only going to strengthen the formation of neurosis, if there is a refusal or false acceptance of these activities and / or poor emotional relationship with their children).
In the case of the exploited classes, what happens is that the situations of over-repression tend to generate, tend, psychosis and not neurosis.
"Indeed, Langner and Michael were able to prove that psychotic disorders and pathological personality traits are significantly more frequent among the lower classes, but the neurotic disorders, on the other hand, are significantly more frequent in the middle and upper classes (of society American). The "New Haven Study" by Holligshead and Redlich also shows that in the upper and middle classes neuroses predominate, while the proletarian classes psychosis is clearly dominant "(Schneider, 1977, p. 245).
Obviously you can not agree with the explanation that Schneider offers for this trend breakdown frame mental health problems by social classes. His thesis that the explanation of this lies in the fact that there is a more rigid education of the workers and more permissive parenting families in privileged classes is quite questionable. After all, many families of the privileged classes due to social ambition and competition, promote highly repressive and rigid educational process, while many workers' families are less rigid. However, there are other determinations, such as affection, more or less easily to reach the educational and social goals, the type of school and family relationships, etc. In fact, neurosis is a stronger trend in privileged classes because these there is a greater number of families fully controlled by the bourgeois mentality and the dynamics of the rat race, which causes several trends that point to the formation of neuroses in children: cold ties or distant due to the time dedicated to work; requirements and over-payments, aimed at preparing children for social competition. Thus, there is a high degree of repression and coercion in the case of the privileged classes, which encourages the formation of neurotic people.
In the case of families of the exploited classes, the tolerable daily reality, lack of perspective to make social competition, among other determinations, promote a refusal and escape from this reality. The great thing is that much of the repression is not produced via family but due to external social conditions (low income, for example). This enables a more-repression, however, does not live with a family or other coercion so intense. The low coercivity tends not to generate so much uncertainty but a dissatisfaction due to the confrontation between wants and needs and not performing, creating an individual's confrontation with their social situation and, therefore, their perception of reality. Thus, only explored in class families marked by a strong field of bourgeois mentality, which generates virtually a strong coercion, is that - along with other determinations that refers to specific cases - can promote the formation of neuroses.
However, it must recognize that there is a relationship between social classes and mental health problems. There is a tendency among the privileged classes to develop neuroses and among the exploited classes in developing psychosis, occurs when situation of over-repression. In this regard, Schneider is correct. This tendency of individuals of the privileged classes develop neurosis in more-repressive situation it can be explained by the fact that it is a psychological problem that has the effect of an adaptation (problematic, but acceptable) to the society as it is organized. Psychosis, in turn, is already revealed psychological problem that mismatch. In Freud's conception, the conflict between id and ego is resolved differently in neurosis and psychosis:
"According to Freud, the neurotic 'id' conflicts with the 'ego', that is, the superego, which stifles the instinctive desire on behalf of frustrating reality. (...). In psychosis, on the contrary, the ego is the id of the service, the instinctive desire, that is, renounces frustrating reality in order to replace it with its illusory reality "(Schneider, 1977, p. 244).
In Freudian terms, the neurosis is prone to psychosis and superego to id (Schneider, 1977; Freud, 1976a). Thus, it is evident that psychosis tends to occur more frequently in the exploited classes and neurosis in the privileged classes. Neurosis is formed when there is an added repression and there is no establishment in a concrete individual, substitute satisfaction or strong persona and psychosis occurs in the same way. The difference is that in the case of neurosis, repression is enhanced by constraint, that is, beyond the manifestation of obstruction is the development of certain needs, capabilities, there is a constraint process for the development of certain behaviors, activities, values, feelings , etc., the individual fails to materialize. In the case of psychosis, the dissatisfaction of the remodeling process generates a fact in which part of the existing reality is replaced by an imaginary. The psychotic person is one who has a deep dissatisfaction with their situation and social relations, but has no denial mechanisms, because not condone the goals and values ​​posed by the bourgeois mentality, becoming socially inept. Psychosis produced as a defense mechanism denial of reality and its imaginary remodeling.
Thus, over-suppression generates psychological problems, and they assume different characteristics depending on other existing determinations. The class situation and other social determinations end up providing greater tendency to develop neurosis or psychosis.
Now that we have defined neurosis and its formation process, it observes its relations with capitalist society and social struggles. The relationship between capitalism and neurosis is evident from the consideration of the process of genesis of this psychic phenomenon. The general basis of neurosis is the repressive-coercive society that has more-repression and a high degree of coercion. Obviously, cases of neurosis existed in pre-capitalist societies, such as the case described by Freud's "demonic neurosis" in the feudal period of transition to capitalism (Freud, 1976b), but due to very different social processes and much lesser degree.
The neurotic individuals, as previously put possess inhibitory processes and difficulties in personal relationships, intellectual output, etc. With regard to the placement policy of the individuals concerned and its limits awareness neurotic individuals plays an important role.
"The outside world can not refuse impulses if not through ego. However, the external perceptions may be refused, perhaps, what might take part in a neurotic conflict. To occupy the traumatic neuroses is demonstrated by the collapse of the phenomenon and the lock outer perceptions, that the external world (perceptions) may be refused. In the psychoneuroses is a similar phenomenon: there are negative hallucinations representing the rejection of a certain portion of the outside world. There forgetfulness or misinterpretation of external events due goal of achieving the satisfaction of a desire; there is a whole class of bugs in a "proof by reality", which are produced under the pressure derivatives of unconscious desires or fears. When a stimulus causes painful sensations arise, it produces a tendency to reject not only the sensation but also the stimulus "(Fenichel, 1966, p. 156).
So the neurotic personality has limitations to recognize reality as it is and this is reinforced if we realize, as we place earlier this psychological problem primarily affects auxiliary classes of the bourgeoisie, which have dominant values ​​and reproduction of bourgeois mentality is one of the strong incentives for the formation of neurosis. The neurotic awareness tends to reproduce his basic insecurity, which causes rigidity in thought and inhibition in intellectual production. In addition, it tends to cause excessive fear of what is regarded as unknown or foreign, both in spatial sense and temporal (fear of the other and fear of change), and this promotes the desire for tighter control and hostility for anyone who escapes from control. In this sense, the neurotic person tends to adhere to conservative thought.
A major problem is the capitalist production process tends to produce a large number of neurotic persons, which means that the individual neurotic problems have social and political implications and becomes more intense when this affects many people, even more in certain historical moments. The rise of Nazism in Germany, for example, was based on initial neurotic people. The Nazi thought takes sharp neurotic characteristics. Hitler himself had a neurotic personality, although at very high levels and above average for a common neurotic. The Nazi own practice shows similarity with the neurotic characteristics: insecurity (national, fear of the "Jewish" and "Bolsheviks"); hostility (internally and externally) mainly with the "imaginary enemy" produced (Viana, 2007), striving for superiority (Nazi art, the Nazi army, "superior", as well as the ideology of the superior Aryan race, which was complemented by destruction of modern art "degenerate", euthanasia and eugenics of the Jews, the handicapped, etc.), authoritarian position and / or subservient, including intellectual plane.
The support base of Nazism was in, especially in the beginning, just the helper classes of the bourgeoisie ("middle class" or "petty bourgeoisie" according dominant ideological language). Reich takes the view that the fascist movement expresses a union of "petty bourgeoisie" and relates it to the "mass psychology":
"We find the answer to this question in the position of employees and small and medium employees. The average employee is itself worse economic situation than the average qualified workers; this further disadvantage is partly offset by the minimal prospect of a career, but above all for the employee, because of its future be guaranteed for life. Thus being in this situation of dependence in relation to established authorities, also is formed in this layer a psychological attitude of competition in respect of colleagues, who opposes the development of class solidarity. The social awareness of employee is not characterized by the target community awareness with their co-workers, but by their position in relation to public authority and will 'nation'. This position is a complete identification with the state power, the employee is an identification with the company it serves. It's so exploited as workers. Why does not develop like this a sense of solidarity? Because of its intermediate position between the authority and the proletariat. Underling from the top, it is forward-based representative of that authority and, as such, enjoys a certain moral protection (non-material). Found in sub-officers of the different armies the perfect formation of this psychological type of mass "(Reich, 1974, p. 47).
What Reich described above is the social position of helper classes, the capitalist sociability and its expression in bourgeois mentality. Undoubtedly, this expresses the dominant values ​​and their internalization in individuals belonging to the auxiliary class, but it is lived and experienced only differently by neurotic individuals who hold the same position. In neurotic individuals, it is manifested more intensely and provides the "vanguard" of the Nazi practice. No doubt, doctors and artists who joined the medicine and art Nazis early on tended to be neurotic, and so the fact to share with Nazi practices without much remorse or resistance, which many individuals auxiliary classes would and some effectively they made, even reproducing the dominant values. The most important is that not only Hitler was neurotic, but also much of the original core of Nazism consisted of neurotic individuals who have gained support from other neurotic individuals and non-neurotic sectors of the privileged classes, due to the social fear of revolution, Russian Bolshevism, the crisis and the lack of another solution, due to the failure of social democracy and widespread social competition.
In short, capitalism produces neurosis large portion of the population and this takes predominantly conservative positions, reproducing the dominant mentality. In times of crisis, non-neurotic individuals are affected by greater insecurity and take like behavior of neurotics and these, in this situation, they worsen further their conservatism, hostility and symbiotic relationship with authority (authoritarianism and subservience).
In rare cases the neurotic can align with the revolutionary forces or who claim to be "progressive". Many fail in this process forward and overcome even the strongest traits of neurosis, his most explicit symptoms. However, these cases are more the exception, for the overcoming of neurosis through revolutionary practice (the reformist does not allow this, as soon characterized as opportunism and form of social competition) only occurs when the individual can overcome largely the dominant values (which is hardly completely, even when it comes to authentic and most dedicated revolutionaries), leaving various feelings, thoughts, typical of modern society or auxiliary classes. In most cases, however, what happens is the formation of what Fromm calls the "rebellious character" (which is not necessarily neurotic because so many are due to other determinations, such as values, etc., without having psychological problems, but this being more aware):
"I define the rebel as deeply resentful person against authority for not being appreciated, loved, accepted. The rebel want to overthrow the authority because of his resentment and, therefore, constitute the authority to replace the overthrow. Very often, at the very moment it reaches this goal, befriended the very authority that fought so bitterly before "(Fromm, 1986, p. 116).
So neurosis is a serious social and political problem, let alone the existence of a large number of neurotics, especially from the perspective of human emancipation as it is an obstacle for her. Undoubtedly, these cases psychoanalytic therapy alleviates rather than plays a totally conservative role, because even affects mainly privileged classes. However, psychoanalytic therapy is not enough to solve the problem of individual neurosis and even to soften and "appease" neurotic individuals and reduce their hostility and destructiveness, does not present a real alternative to not question the dominant values ​​and the dominant mentality, not strengthen the response to the repressive and coercive socialization (family, school, etc.), do not point to the realization of the true human needs, their potential and real obstacles instead of proposing mere sublimation and strengthening persona.
In this sense, the revolutionary movement (of course this is not the pseudo-left of the case led by sectors of helper classes of the bourgeoisie, especially the bureaucracy, which reproduces all that is the basis of neurotic training) is an alternative that can point to an overshoot of neurotizantes foundations of capitalist society - and the class situation that reinforces this process - despite the difficulties in this regard, which resides in the inner conflicts of neurotic people. But beyond this practice derived from membership action that some individuals can do, there are other actions - which are not specific to this case - as countering the dominant values, criticism of ideologies, denunciation and rejection of bureaucratic organizations, presentation of a project self-managed society, etc., and more specific actions, such as theoretical work to clarify the social bases and capitalists of modern neurosis, clarifying the individual psychological distress and its total solution is not possible within the current society, among other things, that can affect the neurotic tendency of modern society, which is part of the wider struggle for human emancipation.
The development of the working brand fight, in their own setting process, foundation for a new form of sociability, based not on competition but on solidarity, not seeking fulfillment of socially constructed needs and vanities but authentic and essential needs, surpassing the process.

References

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