A question for Communists

[Whoha]

How about requiring Church doctrine to be public domain?

[Barnabas]

What about an international organization like the catholic church, with a state "vatican city" as headquarters.

Cuba doesnt have a problem with that, Vietnam is quite tolerant and the situation is improving there for catholics, but in China the catholic church is illegal and they have their own state national patriotic "catholic church" (a national church like the anglicans), there are 30 million underground catholics who worship in houses, often the government lets them live, but sometimes the houses are raided and priests sent to prison, often forever and left uncommunicated, everybody knows about north korea.

So, with those 4 countries you have the full spectrum.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
I do think people need to be protected from exploitive cults, but I'm not sure how to accomplish that without infringing upon the freedom to think whatever the hell they want. A line needs to be drawn between the Jim Jones and The Church of Scientology, but where and how, I don't know.

That's not too difficult. A doomsday cult (aren't they always that way?) always worship a living person as some sort of deity, and of course the cult always have some sort of doomsday. IIRC, Heaven's Gate doesn't have the first characteristic but does have the second one. CoS has (had, at any way) the first one but not the second one.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride
What about an international organization like the catholic church, with a state "vatican city" as headquarters.

I thought my previous post was pretty clear.

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by Arrian


I am a worker, or at the very least I'm *not* a manager. What do I produce? Paper (or, more exactly, words). What does my boss do? She manages a bunch of us (performance reviews, etc) and reviews the paper we create. She's not divorced from the production of the paper... she's got a hand in it.

Besides that... I think any intelligent commie would have to concede that some sort of manager (or "coordinator") is necessary. The questions would be how to pick 'em, police 'em, and the extent of their powers. I tend to think this is the hardest thing about communism, b/c the managers, however they're picked, are gonna become the elite somehow (this would be where "policing" them would somehow come into play, I guess).

-Arrian

For sure managers coordinates etc. But the main reason why they exist is to solve problems when they occur, and to prevent them to happen. When there is no trouble, managers do not look quite usefull, but when bad times arrive, everybody is glad that they are here. Of course bad managers exist, or managers who were never told that they were paid to anticipate and solve problems (GM!), but in most companies were difficulties seems to be ignored, it only means that managers have done their job properly.
And those who have been in a company close to insolvency, know that the trouble-shooter who has the responsibility to turn around the business bears the hopes of all workers.

[Nostromo]

I don't think it makes for a good philosophy course. That kind of focus on social philosophy tends to degenerate into speculation.

All these people are worth reading, but not unless you have a good background in Analytical Philosophy. If people don't, then effective criticism (from a philosophical perspective) is usually a casualty.

Analytic Philosophy may be somewhat boring and nitpicky, but it is a necessity if you are going to be an effective critic or defender of people with synoptic views, like Marx.

Analytic philosophy, necessary? Humbug! Aristotle was an effective critic of Plato and he obviously never learned any analytic philosophy. Kant was an effective critic of traditionnal metaphysics and never learned any anal philosophy.

[Dinner]

Communism is like three somes. They sound good on paper but in reality they just don't work well.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

I don't think Communists need to work out the theoretical things like the difference between price and value. We need to work out the practical things like how to organize production effectively and efficiently. That's what really matters.

try the concept of marginal product.

[Vince278]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Communism is like three somes. They sound good on paper but in reality they just don't work well.

Both require alot of coordination.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia

I don't think Communists need to work out the theoretical things like the difference between price and value. We need to work out the practical things like how to organize production effectively and efficiently. That's what really matters.

try the concept of marginal product.

Sure. Everything will just cost less.

[Odin]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Ideally, as the physical sources of people's desire for a better world after this vanish, there will be less religion, at least so say many Marxists. My personal theory is that religion will evolve to a much more communitarian form, rather like the evangelicals, though one hopes not so bloody reactionary.

I agree, Marx's Idea that religion would dissapear is naive. Most people have a psycological need for spirituality, IMO. Religion is not inheirently good nor bad, it can be used to cause people to do the most selfless acts as well as the most bloody.

[Impaler[WrG]]

I would say Marx hit the nail on the head on the fading of Religion when you look at Europe which ofcorse the culture he was in. America is just a few hundred years behind.

As for Marx on Managment, he isn't against it. Managment is simply another form of work and Marx was all for work, it was the non-working Burgouise aka Owners that he was againsts. Individuals who realy produce nothing but consume a great disproportianate share of the resorces because of this nebulus consept of ownership specificaly ownership of capital.

[Jon Miller]

Much more primative religion is on the upsurge (in europe). It is just that religion was set back ~1000 years because of it's evil alliance with state in europe.

JM

[Agathon]

Originally posted by nostromo

Analytic philosophy, necessary? Humbug! Aristotle was an effective critic of Plato and he obviously never learned any analytic philosophy. Kant was an effective
critic of traditionnal metaphysics and never learned any anal philosophy.

And both are philosophers who write in the Analytic style. Your point?

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
Much more primative religion is on the upsurge (in europe). It is just that religion was set back ~1000 years because of it's evil alliance with state in europe.

JM

I'll bet that atheism/agnosticism are growing faster than wicca etc.