The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

HANS F. SENNHOLZ_-..AREWEMARXIANS • NOW~__IDEAS are the forces that lift ordestroy civilization. They bringpeace and prosperity, or breedwars and revolutions. Ideas shapeour laws and institutions, and governindividual action and socialrelations. No wall or boundary canforcibly retain an idea. It sweepsaround the earth like a storm thatspares nobody. Ideas are strongerthan bombs and missiles, they aremightier than an armada withmegatons of explosives.The philosophical, social andeconomic ideas of Karl Marx havebeen more influential than thoseof all other socialists. They havehad, and continue to have, a profoundimpact not only on the livesof billions of people living in communistand socialist societies whoDr. Sennholz heads the Department of Economicsat Grove City College and is a notedwriter and lecturer on monetary and economicprinciples and practices.worship him as their apostle andmaster, but also on the thoughtsand policies of all others. Surely,no one would label the Americansociety as "Marxian,'~ or describeour social and economic policies as"Marx inspired." There are veryfew Americans who would courageouslyconfess allegiance to thedoctrines of Marx. And yet, seriouscontemplation cannot escapethe conclusion that contemporaryAmerican thought on some threemajor issues - the conflict of interestsin society, the concentra.:.tion of business, and our outlookon the world - bears a startlingresemblance to the doctrines ofKarl Marx.At this place we need not investigatewhy and how this similaritycame about, nor ascertain thechannels of education and communicationthat facilitated thesway of Marxian ideas. In fact,451