Preface

Chapter One

claim: Marxism is no longer relevant. response: no, cus there is still exploitation

Chapter Two

claim: actually existing socialism is awful and oppressive. response: it was only ever implemented as a last resort (kinda like women being given CEOships), in conditions of scarcity, with every other country wanting it to fail

Chapter Three

claim: too deterministic. response: institutional/structural factors still leave room for individual action

Chapter Four

claim: presumes a utopian view of human nature. response: structure can drastically change human behaviour, esp since the worst human behaviours are often the result of material scarcity

Chapter Five

claim: it's economic determinism, too simplistic. response: material needs will take precedence over others as long as there is scarcity but that doesn't mean the others don't exist?

Chapter Six

claim: something about it not being spiritual enough? response: actually, socialism will free us

Chapter Seven

claim: class is an outdated concept. response: there are other important things but class is fundamental as long as we have capitalism

Chapter Eight

claim: too violent. response: only cus the established order resists

Chapter Nine

claim: the state would be too powerful. response: it doesn't have to be; Marx wanted it to "wither away". plus what's the diff (threat-wise) between an all-powerful monopoly corporation vs a state, except that the state is at least nominally accountable to the people? (though actually the state theoretically has legitimacy in terms of violence and its claim to be "for the people", so think about this more idk)

Chapter Ten

claim: kind of a rehash of 7; that class is an antiquated concept. response: class struggle is still entwined with all the others so we have to keep working on it

Conclusion