It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, January 02, 2020
IMHO INTERNATIONAL MARXIST HUMANIST ORG
Support the Work of the International Marxist-Humanist Organization
“In a higher phase of communist society, after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labor, and thereby also the antithesis between mental and physical labor, has vanished; after labor has become not only a means of life but life's prime want; after the productive forces have also increased with the all-round development of the individual, and all the springs of cooperative wealth flow more abundantly, only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be completely transcended and society inscribe on its banners: From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs!” - Karl Marx, Critique of the Gotha Program, 1875
2019 marks the end of a decade characterized by the growth of rightwing populist and neo-fascist tendencies that have dropped neoliberalism’s mask of civility. The fact that these tendencies aggressively dismisses the facts about climate change as fake news means that the world’s ecosystems are in danger of total collapse in the near future. At the same time, the last decade was also characterized by, and will be remembered for, remarkable uprisings and new development in thought. The Arab Spring, the Occupy movement, #BlackLivesMatter, the #MeToo Movement, and the US teachers’ strikes, all contributed to significant social change.
These movements comprised a new generation of activists that worked out a critique of existing conditions by themselves. Today, they are continuing in a whole series of uprisings that began a year ago in Africa, in Sudan and Algeria, and have since spread to South America and the Middle East, Hong Kong, and with an important strike ongoing in France as well. Notably, youth, women, and oppressed minorities stand at the forefront of virtually all of these movements, alongside large sectors of the working people.
2019 also marks the 10th anniversary of the IMHO, which is also the year we are finalizing a project of publishing a new translation of Marx’s Critique of the Gotha Program together with a new introduction. We have done this as part of our central task of developing a philosophically grounded concept of an alternative to capitalism that meets the needs of our time. We argue that a positive vision of an alternative society is immanent in Marx’s negative critique of capitalism. Moreover, his vision of an alternative goes far beyond mere redistribution of value.
But since Marx’s writings do not deal with all the issues facing us today, we need to work out, concretely, what a philosophy of liberation that is adequate for our times means. By writing and publishing articles on our website, participating in demonstrations and protests, by organizing study groups and public meetings, and by taking part in public forums and conferences, we stay devoted to the task of trying to develop the concept of a humanist alternative to capitalism, one that can help to give direction to today’s social movements.
Support us in all of these tasks by considering a donation. We have access to no funding other than what our members and readers can provide. To make a contribution, click on this link or go to the “Donate” tab at the top of the homepage of our website.
If you want to join us in the task of developing an alternative to capitalism you are more than welcome to send us a message by clicking on the “Contact” tab on the homepage, or by proposing an article for our journal, or by attending one of our events and talking to some of us.
For a revolutionary New Year,
The International Marxist-Humanist Organization
Consider a donation (tax deductible in USA) to the IMHO to support our workbit.ly/IMHO-DONATE
We would love to hear your thoughts on our webzine or our organization, either through the "arise" email account above or as a comment in our (moderated) comments pages.
No comments:
Post a Comment