1 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Trumpism, here to stay?
Calling it a cycle is magical thinking and at best highly idealized. I suggest you read more into dialectical materialism. You are close in that there are dialectics and contradictions at play but you ascribe them to “human nature” meaning that we cannot break free of this “cycle”. This is a limitation on action and is ultimately defeatist.
Comment by LeoSolaris at 27/01/2025 at 18:17 UTC
1 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Ah I see, you took my phrasing as commentary on a universal constant rather than commentary on a recurring pattern that cycles through specific stages, including an end stage. Interesting take.
I personally do not believe human nature is static and unchanging. However, behavioral changes to an entire species do not happen quickly. For instance, humans have been slowly becoming less violent for the last few millennia.
That was my real problem with Marx, or more specifically those who tried to implement his philosophy as a system of government. His philosophy led to the idea that fundamentally changing people is something that can and should be imposed upon them rapidly.
While humans have a widespread tendency to fall in line with "the rules", forcing idealistic change builds resentment. External force violates basic human rights to self determination. That is why authoritarian regimes are not sustainable. Those are exactly the seeds I spoke of when I said that Trump's regime will sow the seeds of its own destruction. It does not matter which ideology is being pushed or how correct it seems to the believers.
Using force to apply ideology is no different than using force to covert religions. That is because at their core, religions are formalized ideologies.