Do Labour Supporters welcome the convergence of Labour and the Communists?

There isn't necessarily anything wrong with being a Marxist. But I believe their ideas cause numerable problems.

Bear in mind, Marx was wrong about a lot of stuff, through both faults and no fault of his own. His work did make important observations about capitalism, but I believe his core principles can only be sympathised with if you don't care about the importance of individual human rights, as a premise.

I've only just started learning about Marx, the man the myth...so I'm not too educated, but I feel this Wikipedia article offers a nice balanced overview.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticisms_of_Marxism

I'm past having someone find a link to a bunch of criticisms and expecting me to jump on them. From memory Marx's criticism of 'human rights', as such rights were presented in his own time, were that they typically fixed on individualised and often middle-class concerns. Marxism, by contrast, is usually concerned with all human needs being satisfied collectively. It's a different focus to be sure but a mistake to think that it dismisses concern for the individual's human welfare.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 61

HighOnGoofballs

16

Original post by Axiomasher

I'm past having someone find a link to a bunch of criticisms and expecting me to jump on them. From memory Marx's criticism of 'human rights', as such rights were presented in his own time, were that they typically fixed on individualised and often middle-class concerns. Marxism, by contrast, is usually concerned with all human needs being satisfied collectively. It's a different focus to be sure but a mistake to think that it dismisses concern for the individual's human welfare.

Yes, but one could argue that when the state decides what a person 'needs' to 'live satisfied' then it inherently gives them the power to determine your rights. Moreover, this would as seen by empirical evidence, lead to the very absence of human rights, even the ones that Marx believed in.

Reply 62

Axiomasher

16

Original post by HighOnGoofballs

Yes, but one could argue that when the state decides what a person 'needs' to 'live satisfied' then it inherently gives them the power to determine your rights. Moreover, this would as seen by empirical evidence, lead to the very absence of human rights, even the ones that Marx believed in.

Setting aside that Marx saw the continued existence of the state as an obstacle to communism there's always a danger that power exercised by others obstructs, compromises or ignores the needs of individuals. It's no surprise that there are people who regard themselves as Marxist-anarchists for example. Marx didn't say too much about how communism should be constructed though the state would be initially necessary to take over failing capitalism, pragmatically if you will.