Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel_
How old were you when you first read Das Capital (or indeed, have you read it).
I note that you use communist with a lower case "c", so wonder if you don't use the "C" version due to not agreeing with any particular "doctrinal style" of communism.
Who, philosophically, gives your style of communism guidance?
You have stated a number of countries that you class as NOT communist, what people, communities, organisations or whatever would you say WERE communists.
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I read Das Kapital when I was 18 or 19 (although there were parts of volume 2 I skipped), and also the main part of my masters degree was Marxist theory, so we were all the covering different parts of what Marx wrote through the year. I personally dont regard as some kind of biblical prophet (which is the explanation Tony Benn gave), as a person he was deeply flawed (mildly racist, a bully, staggering insensitive, responsible for filling some of his theories with baffling algebra, incapable of holding down a job as a clerk, and a guy who spent most his life smoking a revolting brand of cigars that were so cheap he claimed that smoking them actually made him richer)... but I think in amongst his obsession with Hegel he did crack onto a true understanding of how the system of economy determines the system of society, he accurately understood the inherent flaws of capitaism (and painted a vivid picture of the evil effects of this system), and in my was one of many theorists who understood the only possible solution to the problem of society that is acceptable in human terms.
I would say my beliefs are based on the theories of Thomas Hobbes first, Karl Marx second, and a guy called Anton Pannokiek third (that probably isnt the right way to spell his name)
I would say the closest example to a communist state existing in the world presently would be the Kibbutz (which is of course not much like the great leviathan)