It’s just “human nature”…

kalashnikov · It’s just “human nature”…

A short rant I wrote the other day after hearing this argument for the 1,000,000th time Shocked

There are many arguments used against those who advocate the socialist transformation of society, this we can put down to the relentless onslaught of the bourgeois and their capitalist system which is terrified of the revolutionary ideas of Marxism and the liberation of the working class. One such argument that finds many supporters in the ranks of the unconscious working class is that of “human nature”, we must expose this argument as the falsification that it is, but as always we must be prepared, as Lenin said, to “patiently explain”.

Certainly it is not uncommon for people to believe that a “natural human greed” may be present in our genetic make up. Such a thought is so widely claimed in this society that it might seem “perfectly normal” to someone who hasn’t given it a second thought.

This supposed “natural greed” can, and is used to justify so many things that happen in the world. Murders, robberies and wars, we put it all down to the general nastiness of the human being. It’s very strange though because when we see opposing examples of human behaviour, such as a heroic act to save someone’s life, or people contributing voluntary work to a good cause we do not make any reference to “human nature”, we might choose instead to claim that these are “good people” and very different from the “bad people” who kill and steal.

It is said that capitalism is a “natural” economic system, this claim is shattered by the fact that capitalism has only existed for a tiny fraction of the existence of human beings. All economic systems are part of the laws of historical development. As Engels explained during our evolution from the ape, Man came out of the trees which freed the hand for things such as hunting and making tools, which in turn lead to increased labour. Through labour new methods were established through time, the emergence of differences in classes took place, each system from primitive communism, to serfdom, to feudalism has came and went through the ages. Capitalism is no exception to this, and the idea of a future socialist society is something that must be prepared for today.

The truth is, there is no such thing as a naturally “good” or “bad” person. Each person’s character and being is shaped by the many factors around him or her from the day of their birth. As Marx said “conditions determine consciousness”, an extremely important factor in the conditions around a person would be the economic system around them. This system that will determine if poverty exists, if they are employed or unemployed, if they are in debt, if they are poor, or if they are wealthy, perhaps they sell their labour power to survive, perhaps they employ workers to make money. These are all vital factors, and combined they shape and mould the people who live under them. Capitalism is a profit-based greed operated system, and therefore those existing within it will always repeat these qualities on various scales. From stealing a television, to embezzling millions of pounds, these crimes are a reflection of society itself.

Ultimately, as humans, the main “natural” quality we have, as with all mammals, is a will to survive. In order to survive we are no longer required to compete against eachother to live. The capitalist system in its productive era has made it possible for all of mankind to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle without poverty or famine. But capitalism now holds us back. The fact that there is enough on earth to provide a good life for all is cancelled out by the fact that too much wealth is concentrated in the hands of too few people. The class system that operates the capitalist system will not allow a good standard of living for all – it could not, it would self destruct.

Some people have said that you cannot give the workers power – they are too greedy. I say we are not greedy enough! Is it not the case that we toil and struggle, not for the fruits of our labour but only for a fraction of what it is worth? Is it not true that whilst we struggle the wealth produced by our labour is enjoyed by a minority of others? Effectively we contribute in the running of a system that enriches others and exploits ourselves. That is not greed, it is naivety. We must overcome this naivety by standing up as workers and revolutionaries, to show the way forward towards a new and better life for all, towards an international brotherhood of man, a world of socialism and peace.

RFM

Interesting article Mr. Kalshnikov;
You might be interested in a recent book by one Thomas Frank "What's the matter with Kansas". Frank details a number of peculiarities about the working classes in America, beginning with Kansas. Kansas was the state that originated many of the original labor rights movements, yet in the latter part of the 20th century turned to the political right and voted Republican. You see, if you accept that people have the right to determine their own form of government the question becomes how? If you do that by popular vote, the assumption is that people understand their own self interests and will vote accordingly. In America we have witnessed the opposite to be true. In Pennsylvania, Kansas, Texas, North Carolina, West Virginia, practically all the large working class manufacturing and mining states, the workers have turned out in droves for the Republican party. The same is true by the way in eastern Canada. Yet the Republicans make it very clear that they favor tax cuts for the wealthy (which have to be made up by the lower classes), they favor the export of working class jobs to other countries (low skilled labor and semi-skilled labor) they oppose labor unions and favor the so-called the right to work laws, favor the use of the bankruptcy courts to avoid pension and health care obligations they promised their workers, they offered a wartime economic economy which would be paid for with working class young men and women (notice that George Bush's children are not wearing a uniform if you will). And who does the working class vote for? At least the Scots were smart enough not to vote for the clearances.
The point is that people, regardless of how they earn their daily bread, all seem to be imbued with certain ideas, conscious or unconscious, about wealth. Marxism, for all its brilliance, does not provide a solution to this problem. Marx you may remember offered no solutions, he described the problem and offered a sweeping prediction that offered hope and a future to countless people who had nothing to offer the world but their own labor.
RFM