Great Ideas of Philosophy

3. What is needed is a revolutionary change. And that revolution cannot be bloodless, because those inpower do not relinquish power. Power is taken from them.4. Revolutionary upheavals, then, are the only basis on which an economic and social stasis is impelledto change and, indeed, compelled to change.D. In the ordinary run of things, science and technology alone radically alter the means of production.1. Tremendous changes in the productive resources of a society can occur because of science andtechnology, recasting labor in a radically different mold.2. Workers might now require great technical skills and education, gaining a much greater sense ofthemselves and their place within the productive scheme of things.3. This class consciousness, however, recognizes its essentiality to the entire social life. This sort ofchange can take place without any adjustments in the social structure at all.V. Marxist theory leaves no room for revolutionary changes effected technically and scientifically. It is a“deterministic” theory, defeated by actual persons living real lives on their own terms. In practice, it fails toexplain and fails to achieve what its defenders promised. But it has altered perspectives in an enduring way andremains in the background of the “constructionist” theory of personality, personal identity, and classconsciousness.Recommended Reading:Lichtheim, G. Marxism: A Critical Analysis. Praeger, 1961.Marx, K. Selected Writings. Hackett, 1994.Questions to Consider:1. Marx obviously accepts the forceful powers of the individual, or his summons to revolution would bemeaningless. Explain how “deterministic,” then, are the economic forces operating on the individual.2. Conclude whether the economic failure of all 20 th -century “Marxist” states is evidence enough that the theoryin part and in total is hopelessly flawed.22©2004 The Teaching Company Limited Partnership