: Marx's theory of the revolution was a streak of pure utopianism. The Communist Manifesto was a demand, but it was also a plan (and a rather vague one at that), and putting the task in the hands of "the people" without specifying a lot of the things I mentioned in the above posts was like putting a 3-year-old in the driver's seat of a car, starting the engine, and taking off the emergency brake while putting it in gear.Such things did not *need* specifying, the manifesto makes no plea to justice, no plea to reason, and finds its justification firmly in the working class itself.
The 'Abstract' utopians designed their schemes according solely to what would be a reasonable society, what would be a just plan, M&E made no such plan of society.
The analogy itself is more or less offensive, people have the capacity to run their own lives, they do not need some would be great reformer coming down from the sky saying how it was to be done, Marx could point to contemporary society for examples of democratic co-operation.
You missed another group, the WSM is neither made up of accademics, nor is it restricted to teh Conuoring nations of the north.
: So it seems to me that Marxism has widely been declared moribund because it's too hung up on its "scientific," "realistic" assessment of life-as-it-is.
I doubt that, most attackers say 'nice idea, can't work in reality- ideals are all very well, but reality is just not like that.'.
: It has nothing to do with the immiseration of the working classes, and everything to do with their lack of willingness to destroy a system they've contributed their entire lives (so far) to supporting.
Desire and necessity, as both E.P. and William Morris would say. Until the desire comes, there is nothing we can do.
None.
