Thomas_More
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Yes, there are those who call themselves philosophers who are in fact ideologues, or, as an earlier century would have called them without today’s PC nervosity, hacks. Propagandists of an ideology, like Maoism, Leninism, Hitlerism, Christianities, Hindu nationalism, Pol Potism, conspiracisms etc., will make use of, and have among them, such hacks, their “intelligentsia”, misusing the name of philosopher or thinker, whereas in fact they are mere lick-spittles.
That real socialists are not such is easily perceived by anyone witnessing our sometimes venomous disagreements with one another, as opposed to a chloroformed audience sitting before a “leader”, be it a head of state, the guru of a cult, or a Master Conspiraloon.
philosophy n. Gk. “Love of wisdom.”
The analysis, subjected to reason and evaluation (dependent upon a person’s evolution of thought), of impressions, desires, feelings, leading to the further elaboration of thought.
______ideology n. A body of ready-made beliefs containing its own ready-made logic; hence, accepted by a person without scrutiny and with an emotional need to ‘belong’: e.g. a follower.(See follow, v.)
The difference between brainwashing and thought is the difference between ideology and philosophy.
The ideologist adopts instantly the entire credo of a group because of an emotional / romantic / image-based need, or a need to belong.
This is what the “phases” of adolescents are, seeking belonging, or seduced by imagery.
It is true that most, having passed through this stage, and being working-class (99% of the world’s population are working class), have little time on their hands for thought beyond that of working for their living and struggling to raise families etc. Life under capitalism means it is convenient to rely on mainstream media, and hence be patriotic and trusting of whichever nation-state apparatus governs them and the news it puts out.
Minorities, some small, some large, will seek belonging, still, in groups and cults which, demonstrating some “rebelliousness” or “difference” from “the herd” give them the sense of belonging through difference. Such are converts to religions, racist groups, anything that has a leader or pundit to follow, and by following, belong. For some, the more outrageous and the more reviled, the better.
All these are ideology.Philosophy, however, is very different from ideology.
The philosopher does not accept the entirety of someone else’s thought, nor reject that entirety, on the basis of agreement or disagreement in one or two particulars. A philosopher does not require leaders to follow. S/he does not wish to lead. S/he is not interested in imagery. S/he doesn’t care about belonging to anything. S/he may be mistaken in things, but cannot be brainwashed. There is no danger for the philosopher in listening to or watching or reading any media or propaganda.
S/he is not susceptible to brainwashing, neither by the state nor by any cult, neither by the majority nor any minority.
The only way to damage the philosopher is to physically do so, by violence applied to the brain.
The philosopher sifts information in the light of views – philosophy – developed through the course of their lifetime. This is why philosophers usually disagree about most things. If s/he joins a group it is not to find belonging; it is not because of any need to be in a group. It is purely because of a shared interest.
The philosopher does not abdicate his/her thought in order to be part of a group or party.Nationalism is a better word, but then, nation-states being the political units of capitalist society, all politicians are nationalists.
And, “All government is violence.”
(Tolstoy).You seem to think socialism too is an ideology. It is, in fact, the conclusion drawn from socio-historical scientific thought. By calling it an ideology, you hazardously flirt with the “every view is equally valid” nonsense.
As for Fascism, only Italy called itself Fascist, and Mussolini’s views were those of every capitalist state – which is why it was only in war and defeat that Mussolini was disowned by the parliamentary “democracies” whereas in the 1920s and 30s Britain especially had praised him to the skies as “a strong leader” who “did wonders for his country” – which is the stuff of every party campaign in the world, except for us of course.
You probably think too that WW2 was a war between “fascism and democracy” and that Germany, Italy and Japan were united by “fascism.”
I think Wez is seduced by the Trump Is The Problem movement now current and forgetting that capitalism is the problem, which is what people need to wake up to, not go down yet another blind alley. After the Trump blind alley there’ll be another, and another, and another.
Business as usual, with no need for Nazism or Fascism, but going on all the same and all the time under capitalism:
(And other animals are being put through an Auschwitz by the tens of millions every day of every year with no sign of let-up and never a peep from 99.9% of people, including socialists!) It is all business as usual under this system, just as profits and wars are. “To the [other] animals, all humans are Nazis.” (Patterson, Eternal Treblinka).
Never have we said the words should be removed from (correct, historical) usage.
I dare say the native Americans and other victims of colonialism would agree that the Holocaust was indeed capitalist business as usual – as would the Palestinians.
Yes. As soon as the slave-owning bourgeois colonial gentry had defeated the British, they squeezed the poor farmers and crushed them when they rebelled (Shay’s rebellion). “OUR war of independence, not yours!” was the message, no matter that the poor had been deceived; after 1776 they had to buckle under again and know their place.
For the rural mass of the Russian population the “proletarian revolution” was a tinkle by telegraph.
“Nazism” is the excuse Putin’s govt. used to scare the Russian populace into supporting the bombing of Ukraine, and the Kiev Ukrainians call Putin “Putler.” In the UK, the govt. always reverts to WW2 verbiage about being “in it together” to fight a war, and the Greens and lefties join in for “helping Ukraine.”
So many Nazis, more Nazis than humans! Nazis fighting Nazis everywhere. It’s a “nazipourrie”!
Ideology? The main thing in people’s minds when they call someone a “fascist” is racism. But Fascism before 1938 wasn’t racist. Nazism was racist, but the Nazis didn’t call themselves fascists. Fascism was Mussolini, and the Nazis had a lot of trouble trying to get Mussolini to listen to their racist policies.
Today, both “fascist” and “Nazi” are mere epithets that people throw at one another. They are meaningless.Vance would still only have the rest of Trump’s term. Anyway, that is irrelevant, since capitalism determines how politicians act, not themselves.
There would have been a Second world war even if Hitler had never been born. Napoleon was more of a materialist than you when he said, “If not me, then someone else.”
When Trump is gone in three years, the same cycle of wars and crises and despoliation and pollution and holocausts on nature will continue under another President, Republican or Democrat, and that has nothing to do with Fascism (a dead Italian movement), but everything to do with modern capitalism.
Similar protests will continue after Trump is forgotten, and leftists will still be shouting about “fascism” and activists of every type protesting about this and that: and still ignoring and poo-pooing our message. And so it goes on.Critiquing fascism has never led to critiquing capitalism, but has hijacked the working class onto another reformist path. Far from representing workers’ interests, self-styled anti-fascists recently tried to obstruct an anti-war march in Germany because it was nationalist-led.
The fact is well known in the SPGB of the Communist Party of the 1940s critiquing us for opposing the war instead of enlisting “to fight fascism.”-
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