Economic Update: What Marx & Marxism Offer Us Today

[S12 E10] What Marx & Marxism Offer Us Today

This week's show features a discussion of what Marx offers in the way of a basic critique of capitalism and an alternative economic system that would be better for most people, and how this differs from mainstream economics.

A special thank you to our devoted EU Patreon community whose contributions make this show possible each week.
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“Marxism always was the critical shadow of capitalism. Their interactions changed them both. Now Marxism is once again stepping into the light as capitalism shakes from its own excesses and confronts decline.”

[cev]

Not just old religions and capitalism tell people they get what they deserve, it's also new age and "Oprah." Ex. if you're not "positive enough, " then you're not drawing good things to you. So it's your fault. And while they blame you, and make you feel bad about yourself (lost, moping in and incapacitated by depression and ego), you never realize that its the system that's actually done it to you.
It's a broader, sociological perspective that's needed to see through all of the commercial, materialistic, superficial (social media, esp), capitalistic garbage we're mired in daily.

[Cid]

We're so lucky to have you! I wish Prof Wolff were our Secretary of Labor.

[mayarasp]

Thank you, Professor! So helpful in helping us put these ideas forward, I'll be sharing this one with a lot of people for sure.

[dildabekbekman]

Благодарю Вас профессор. Я говорю и понимаю английский язык в достаточной мере. Но лучше я напишу Вам на языке, на котором я думаю.

Вы как всегда убедительны, профессор. Ваши аргументы неожиданны и ориинальны даже для нас людей, которые пытались построить коммунизм в Советском Союзе. Ваши лекции интересны и нам бывшим советским людям своей логикой и оригинальностью, потому что Ваш взгляд на коммунизм происходит из современного капиталистического общества, тогда как мы пришли к марксизму другим путем, родившись и изучая марксизм и научный коммунизм в социалистическом обществе в СССР. Тем не менее мы приходим к одним и тем же выводам: Вы - профессор из капиталистических США и мы - бывшие советские люди.
Марксизм и коммунизм - это будущее человечества. Вот этот вывод.
Профессор, нам вместе надо объединить свои усилия и попробовать совместно развить марксизм. И конечно продолжать с обеих сторон пропагандировать марксизм.

Как говорили классики:
"Учение Маркса всесильно, потому что оно верно!".
Тысячу благодарностей Вам, профессор.

[UBETUBEME]

Thank you Professor for educating people
Slavery is alive and well in 2022
People over profits now 3/25/22
Be the change
Or be enslaved by big corporate
Want change Boycott

[karlhoweth]

Well, to be fair, Marx did see in his life an attempt at establishing an alternative to capitalism. The 1871 Paris Commune.

[gdroid]

Excellent video Prof. Wolff! I love your simple, but profound, explanations of capitalism, feudalism, Marxism etc.

[antimattv]

Workers' self directed enterprises are very important for the downtrodden human spirit. We have grown too much and struggled for too long to continue being dominated by another simply because "that's how it is". THIS is the way forward because it finally gets to the deep core of the issue. The employer-employee relationship. That same arrangement is what teaches everybody that it is okay for one human to arbitrarily rule another. IT IS NOT OKAY.

[frankc]

Prof. Wolff has a remarkable way if explaining things. This video is a half hour spent in a worthwhile way if you want to understand socialism.

[skaz]

Thank you, Dr. Wolff, once again, for the invaluable service you continue to provide! Our country can and should do better.

[anarchimedes]

I think the best passage from Marx that encompasses both his thoughts on historical materialism, capitalism, and what he would like to see come out of the resolution of capitalism's contradictions comes from Capital Volume 3:

<<In fact, the realm of freedom actually begins only where labour which is determined by necessity and mundane considerations ceases; thus in the very nature of things it lies beyond the sphere of actual material production. Just as the savage must wrestle with Nature to satisfy his wants, to maintain and reproduce life, so must civilised man, and he must do so in all social formations and under all possible modes of production. With his development this realm of physical necessity expands as a result of his wants; but, at the same time, the forces of production which satisfy these wants also increase. Freedom in this field can only consist in socialised man, the associated producers, rationally regulating their interchange with Nature, bringing it under their common control, instead of being ruled by it as by the blind forces of Nature; and achieving this with the least expenditure of energy and under conditions most favourable to, and worthy of, their human nature. But it nonetheless still remains a realm of necessity. Beyond it begins that development of human energy which is an end in itself, the true realm of freedom, which, however, can blossom forth only with this realm of necessity as its basis. The shortening of the working-day is its basic prerequisite.>>

[ashavahishta]

Thank you Professor, Marx pointed in the right direction, but in the US today, the power of the capital aristocracy is too strong, we can't overthrow their rule through violent revolution like Russia and China, we can only pray for the day when the empire collapses from the inside..

[jeff__w]

Although I get the framing of “democracy in the workplace, ” I tend to view Marx’s critique in behavioral terms (which Marx could not do because that vocabulary had not been invented yet): those who are subject to the contingencies of reinforcement (e.g., the conditions under which they get or don’t get at least some portion of the surplus) should be, to the extent possible, the ones who arrange those contingencies. If you don’t have that “identity, ” you get what you get under slavery, feudalism, and capitalism: those doing the arranging arrange to get more of the reinforcer (e.g., in Marx’s terms, the surplus) than others and subject others to more aversive conditions (e.g., unsafe work environments, long hours, low pay, etc., under capitalism) if those conditions lead to more reinforcement for those doing the arranging.

[starramus]

Comrade Wolff you are a force for change. You have defused all of the capitalist promoters, and apologists arguments.

[nomigomezmolina]

Richard you are such a gift, unfortunately not the light at the end of the tunnel!!!
We love you🙏🙏

[rodrigomckay]

Muchas Gracias por compartir sus conocimientos Prof. Wolff.
Thx for sharing your knowledge Prof. Wolff.

[OneBlurryLens]

Thank you Professor.

The real difficulty here is convincing the very people who have a hold on the world power and decision making say and ability to make change to let go of their grip on their precious wealth and power.
These peoples over-the-top greed and selfishness are a very difficult obstacle to resolve.
Difficult, but not impossible. It will just take a lot of hard work.

[dcaabd]

thx Richard for taking the time to offer a fresh perspective on these ideas! very helpful.

[dbarker]

One thing I really like about Marx is his imagining a better world for all. But I don't think we have that capacity in the US anymore. We have no community except maybe sports teams. Our God is money. It's every man for himself. How often do you hear someone say "I don't want to pay for someone else's healthcare"?
The Tories have won.

[TheAmericanAmerican]

Nice returning to the roots. More of this please and thank you.