I forwarded to PHILOFHI A.Austin's response to R.Moore's message with the
following comment:
Forwarding the response to R.Moore's msg from wsn I wish to make
a few notes.
The topic of this talk concerns political-economic sphere (the focus of
wsn) but Philosophy of History traditionally (since Herder and Kant) deals
not only with human past but also with far-off global future and modernity
seen from this holistic viewpoint.
Linking with our talk of civilizations we can assume that Transnational
Companies (TNC) as well as nation-states and social movements (f.e.
libertarians, socialists etc) are specific "instruments of expansion" (in
terms of Carroll Quigley, according to C & WS p.19, in the general order
of such "instuments" as Sumerian priesthood, Egiptian taxation, Classical
slavery, Western military feodalism and later capitalism) of modern
westernized Global Civilization.
The critical problem is how Utopia relates to this Civilization.
I support R.Moore and A.Austin when (in my terms) they tend to
make more strict limits to TNC with the aid of n-states and s-
movements (i.e. harmonization of elements within civilization).
But as a Russian whose parents lived during Stalinism I am deeply
frightened of last words of A.Austin about "world worker revolution".
His understanding of "breaking up the ground before planting" is just
Leninist-Trotskist slogan of "International" "We destroy the old world
absolutely" (a pity, I know only Russian version of this hymn).
It can mean only a call to crush Civilization by means of Utopia.
All TNC, core Western n-states and fair western universities where
such callers comfortabely work now, will be defended by NATO. I suppose
that it is possible only with such deep sense of personal security not to
care about inevitable revolutionary disasters and terror with following
Stalinist dictatorships just for those peoples whom Western socialists
wish to "help".
Regards, Nikolai
Nikolai S. Rozov
Professor of Philosophy
Moderator of the mailing list PHILOFHI
(PHILosophy OF HIstory and theoretical history)
http://darwin.clas.virginia.edu/~dew7e/anthronet/subscribe
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Dept. of Philosophy
Novosibirsk State University Fax.: (3832) 355237
630090, Novosibirsk E-mail: rozov@cnit.nsu.ru
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RUSSIA