"The point is to change it,: An introduction to Marxist philosophy by John Molyneux"
A brief overview;
This book has been penned by John Molyneux (September 2, 1948, December 10, 2022,).He was a British Trotskyist, scholar & a member of socialist workers party. This book mainly comprises on 218, Pages & divided into thirteen chapters. As we know there is a historical split between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. Therefore, the inclination of author is obviously towards the Trotskyist narrative.
Furthermore, in this book, the author tried to divide Marxism into two categories, Pseudo-Marxism and genuine Marxism. Therefore, for him except the October revolution of 1917,there is nothing according to Marxist genuine Ideology all around the world. He called these existing socialist states, the one of various versions of "bureaucratic state capitalism". For him they are exploiting working class under the pretext of their so called revolutionary practice.
In addition, therefore, I believe, at this historic juncture, the point of an advent to Marxist philosophy must truly be researched, that how to take a look at of the many of challenges that Marxist, revolutionary philosophy is faced with. This can only assist to the masses or, other dispossessed humans to abolish social instructions or dictations and set a democratic set up over, all components of our lives.
Further more, the author, criticized the, China, Cuba, North Korea, and the Communist regimes in eastern Europe, by labelling them as an undemocratic & dictator states, most of them for him, are rejected by their own people. Because, these states are presenting themselves, as Marxist states and people are considering themselves as a "Marxism in power"& for him they are faking Marxism, and most importantly for him, these states are Pseudo-Marxist states, which are anti-Marxism & harming the real soul of genuine Marxist philosophy.
 |
| The point is to change it by John Molyneux |
Therefore, the aim of this book according to the author, is, to provide guidance to the all activists, who are involved into the Tunsiania, Egypt, Arab spring and all around the world. So they can get an essence of genuine Marxism and save, themselves from repeating & representing same blunders, that previously all the States or so called socialist States did.
In this manuscript, author offers us something like a political timetable, "to build a genuine force of progressive workers in each country, with its very own centralized political agency. By reading a book soon it, reveals upon us that, he basically is, on agenda to redefining Marxism, by perspective approach. While, moving towards philosophical complexities, Molyneux, argues, that Marxist philosophy, at a whole , commonly referred as dialectical materialism, but while acknowledging this it seems he, shy away from telling us which philosopher initially has used this term.
Having said that, furthermore, inside the philosophical lifestyle Molyneux's view can be summarized into three following traits;
- (I) For him nature is dialectical.
- (ii) materialism is the appropriate international view.
- And
- (iii) Idealism is to be antagonistic at every possibility.
Therefore, basically Molyneux engages in similar metaphysical speculations concerning the creation of the universe. He argues, that everything changes, I mean every component, even the smallest particles too.
Molyneux declare that dialectics develops, the collection of laws and standards. To demonstrate one of them laws Molyneux provide the naturalistic example, of changing of water into steam. In addition, in lowering dialectics to some of "legal guidelines", Molyneux gets himself, engaging inside, the kind of metaphysics, that arose from Plekhanov's invention of the term, called dialectical materialism.
Moving further, instead of dialectics being a flexible and innovative mode of reasoning, which facilitates us to recognize complicated social phenomena, for Engels, Plekhanov and Lenin, it have become a set of legal guidelines immanent in nature. Further more, the author, uses Lukács, Gramsci and Althusser, three thinkers whom, each of one attempted to broaden Marxist philosophy further, for him they will be particularly useful for those folks who failed to grasp the real essence of Marxist philosophy.
On the concluding note, for me the author, in a very wicked scholarly style, has tried to damage the valuable outlook of Marxist philosophy. He ruthlessly criticized the exiting Marxist states, which are for him pseudo- ones but, he wisely shy away, from the causes, that why these states failed, or lost real road to progress. He(author) didn't highlight the, challenges and dirty game of imperial-capitalist countries, that how they united against these socialist states, by not letting them to implement their real progressive emancipatory policies by international and domestic pressures by creating unrest through their agents.