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this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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Comradeship // Freechat
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I have a limited understanding of theory, so take that into consideration. I have recently been researching geopolitics and world systems theory and trying to apply it to political economies. From my understanding, communism is achievable in simple societies, but difficult in complex societies. Complex societies tend to foster social hierarchies and authoritarianism due to their complexity. If anyone can give me their opinions I would appreciate it. Whether it’s an area for further study or someone else’s research.
I would just add on that authoritarianism is literally a meaningless term, in that every state is authoritarian. What matters is who holds the authority to do what. Read On Authority by Engels too, it's super short and dunks on "tankie ebil authoritarianism" quite easily
Sure. I meant authority in its broadest sense. I was hoping for more of a social psychology dynamic. But, as is being pointed out, others have been down this path before. If the answers lie in economic theory, that is where I’ll start.
I think you're really just getting to the truth of what economics is. It's how we as a society (i.e. socially) choose to distribute our resources. Because of this, we Marxists say that the "psychology" part of the dynamic you mention isn't actually set in stone, because humans are affected by the society we live in, which directly ties into economics, ya know?
Yes, it’s difficult sometimes to step outside of the false consciousness of capitalism and imagine a world without it. I used to think that theory was a luxury, and socialism is just common sense. I’ve read some, but starting to understand it is impossible to world build without it.