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| Only the working class can preserve life on earth as we know it. |
Sean O'Torain.
I started my working life
on my uncle's farm in County Donegal, Ireland. The tools were grapes and wheel
barrows to clean out the dung of the cows and horses from the byres and stables, spades and shovels to dig drains,
horse drawn ploughs to turn over the soil to plant the crops, horse drawn carts
to haul turnips and potatoes and grains, buckets to carry water, and here I am
writing about Stephen Hawking and Assange and the rest. I have a hard neck on
me. But we are familiar with the saying: “Audacity, Audacity, Audacity.
Stephen Hawking is one of
the world’s most respected scientists. He is a theoretical physicist, a
cosmologist, and author and director of research at the center for theoretical
cosmology at the university of Cambridge, England. (I never finished high
school) Hawking holds left wing views. In the 1960’s he marched in
opposition to the Vietnam war. In the 1990’s he called the US invasion of
Iraq a “war crime.” He defends the British national health system. A man of the
left and one of the world’s greatest brains, so it is with extreme trepidation
I even write his name. Especially as in the fields in which he specializes I am
an ignoramus. However it becomes more clear to me by the day that the fact
people like Stephen Hawking, no matter how learned in other fields, that
society as a whole, in spite of its scientific advances, because they do not
base themselves, on historical materialism, and specifically the phase of
historical materialism in which we now exist, it is impossible for such
individuals and for society to understand the world. Specifically to show
a way forward for the world and society and in fact life on earth as we know
it. It is more and more clear to me that this inability to base human thought
on historical materialism is a major, perhaps the major obstacle to the human
species having a future. I am afraid that Stephen Hawking is also lacking in
this area. But let us back up a bit. What am I talking about when I speak of
historical materialism?
Historical materialism
sees the world in this way. The human species clawed its way out of the swamps of
pre history and in the process established and overthrew system after system,
one following the other. First there were the were primitive hunting and
gathering societies, then slavery, then feudalism and today capitalism. While
there was some overlap here and there, some steps forward and some steps back
here and there, this was roughly the process. Each of these systems was
replaced by a new system when the old system could no longer take society
forward, and when a new system which could take society forward came into
being. So in this way society was changed. The establishment of these new systems
was led by the new progressive classes of the time. This does mean these new
“progressive” classes were gentle entities, in a kindly way nudging society
into a new form. Far from it they were ferocious new forces which, with as it
has been said, emerged out of the old systems with blood dripping from every
tooth and claw and fang.
So where are we today, and
where is society today and what has this to do with Stephen Hawking? Today we
are in the catastrophic death throes of the capitalist system. That is of the
system where the dominant sectors of the world economy are privately owned by
the capitalist class and run for profit. And where the capitalist class
which owns and controls the dominant sectors of the world economy also own and
control the worlds military and economic and political systems.
This reality is all around us and influences every aspect of our being,
of our lives. Here is what Stephen Hawking has to say about it. This is
from a piece on Stephen Hawking from Wikipedia entitled the: Future of humanity.
Wikipedia:
“In 2006 Hawking posed an open question on the Internet: "In a world that
is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race
sustain another 100 years?", later clarifying: "I don’t know the answer.
That is why I asked the question, to get people to think about it, and to be
aware of the dangers we now face."
Hawking
has expressed concern that life on Earth is at risk from a sudden nuclear
war, a genetically engineered virus, global
warming, or other dangers we have not
yet thought of. However, such a planet-wide disaster need not result
in human extinction if the human race were to be able to colonize additional
planets before the disaster. Hawking views spaceflight and the colonization of
space as necessary for the future of humanity. Hawking has
stated that, given the vastness of the universe, aliens likely
exist, but that contact with them should be avoided. He
warned that aliens might pillage Earth for resources. In 2010 he said, "If
aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America,
which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans.
"Hawking
has argued superintelligent artificial intelligence (AI) could be pivotal in steering humanity's
fate, stating that "the potential benefits are huge... Success in creating
AI would be the biggest event in human history. It might also be the last,
unless we learn how to avoid the risks. Hawking has argued that computer
viruses should be considered a new
form of life, and has stated that "maybe it says something about human
nature, that the only form of life we have created so far is purely
destructive. Talk about creating life in our own image."
These
thinking’s of Hawking are of great interest and importance, not least because
they come from a man of his scientific credentials. But also because of their content. They clearly recognize that life on earth is under
threat. He outlines the various threats that exist. I would like to restate his
points but in doing so give them a
base in the system in which we live, that is state that they are the result of
and flow from capitalism. I
agree with Hawking that life on earth as we know it is under threat. In my
opinion life on earth as we know it will be destroyed in the decades ahead by
climate change, nuclear war, pollution, drought, flooding, starvation and
possibly other forms of destruction, or a combination of all or some of these,
and other threats as yet un-thought off except by people such as
Hawking.
I am
totally unqualified to speak on viruses or artifical intelligence, though I
doubt that life on earth can be destroyed by artifical intelligence. But I may
be totally wrong on this as I know so little about it. But anyway there are
enough other threats to life on earth as we know it to be going on with.
Stephen Hawking outlines these. And I most emphatically agree, life on earth as
we know it will be destroyed in the near future unless the system under which
we live is changed. However as I have stated Hawking does not put the threat to
life on earth as we know it in terms of the threat
being one of the capitalist system. I believe this is a mistake. I see the
threat to life on earth as we know it as a crisis of capitalism. The reality is that life on earth as we know it will
be destroyed unless capitalism is overthrown. It is capitalism that is the
basis of all these threats that Hawking outlines and with which I agree. The problem is not some general crisis of the
human species it is a problem of the human species living under capitalism, the
human species in this phase of history. It is here that I believe that Hawking
makes a mistake. He avoids looking at
society in a historical materialist way. By doing so he avoids, in fact he
makes it impossible, to see a way out of the crisis in which humanity exists. If we do
not see where we came from, if we cannot see where we are, we cannot see how to move
forward, how to solve our problems.
Hawking
points to a future for the human species by traveling to other planets. He
speaks of life on other planets, elsewhere in the universes. I agree it is
unthinkable that with all the universes out there, all of endless space, all
of endless time, there
are not other intelligent forms of life. But as Hawking seems to say himself
contact with such other forms would be unlikely to be positive for the human
species. If other forms of life came to
earth then he in my opinion correctly assumes they would be superior to the
human species and would most likely dominate our species and loot the earth’s
resources. Thus bringing only only
negative results. I agree with this. But then Hawking
seems to contradict himself by talking about emigrating to other
planets. Or is he suggesting that we would find a less developed life form out
there that we could exploit rather than they come to earth and exploit us.
I think his talk about a way out for humanity through travel into space has no
basis in reality. And what would we do with all the other species here on earth.
Noah's Ark? I disagree with Hawking
that there is any possibility of the human species having
a future by traveling into space. Life
on earth in this degenerate rapidly decaying capitalist system will destroy
itself before this would ever be possible, even if it were ever possible, which
I do not think it is.
So
if I am correct in my opinion, if Stephen Hawking is wrong on this, how come a
man of his intellect and thought makes such a mistake. We are I believe back to
the issue of historical materialism. More specifically, the inability of
Hawking to use the method of historical materialism to analyze the world in which
we live today, the society in
which live today, the capitalist society, in which we live today. There are
huge pressures that weigh against Hawking and people like him which make it
difficult for them to see history in a historical materialist manner.
Specifically a historical materialist approach to history sees every previous society
has had a beginning a middle and an end. The ruling class in capitalism like
all previous ruling classes do not want to see history in this way. After all
it would mean that capitalism also has a beginning a middle and an end. The
ruling capitalist calls wants to believe they will rule for ever. That we have
reached the end of history. So there are great pressures to look in other
directions for “solutions.”
And
there are other pressures which make it difficult for people like Hawking to
see the possibilities for the future. One of these and a central one, is his
inability to base himself on the class struggle and the role of classes in the
historical materialist manner in which society has developed. The old societies
did not all progress. Where no class or force existed the old societies
collapsed in on themselves or were overthrown by more backward societies which
in turn themselves collapsed. The ruins of these old societies can be seen in
the pyramids in the deserts and jungles, the old cities and magnificent ruins
in the deserts and jungles. There was no class or force that could take these
societies forward so they collapsed. It is in this context that we have to look
at capitalism today. As it hurtles towards the cliff edge of its own destruction:
is there a class or a force that can prevent this taking place? This is the
issue. Not un-realizable speculating about the human species emigrating to
other planets. Is there a class that can end capitalism and take society
forward? This is the question.
The
two main classes that exist today are the capitalist class and the working
class. The capitalist class rules the world. It is
the backward, regressive class, the class of the past. It regained control over the Stalinist former
Soviet Union at the end of the last century and looks to be heading in the same
direction in Stalinist China. Processes do not
travel in a straight line. There are steps forward and steps back. The
restoration of capitalism in parts of the world where it was ended, even under
the reactionary dictatorships of Stalinism was a step back. Once again more
established in a wider area the
capitalist class is dragging the world and the human species backwards toward
destruction. Stephen Hawking recognizes that society is heading in this
direction but it is at this point, that in my opinion the wheels come of his
wagon and he talks about one possible “solution” being space travel. That is the human species
emigrating to other planets. The question I pose is this: How come a man of Stephen
Hawking’s intelligence ends up with this non-solution? It is not hard to see
why. It is because, inspite of his atheism and his left leanings, he does not
base himself on the method of historical materialism and specifically seek a
historical materialist vie, and this includes a class view to show the human
species a way forward.
Unlike
with some of the older societies which could not progress, there is a
progressive class in the world today which has the capability of taking society
forward. . It is the working class. It is bigger and more wide spread and more
diverse than every before. It is spread in every continent more than ever
before. It works the huge machines and transportation systems and advanced
machinery more than every before. It controls the new communications systems.
50% of the world’s factory workers are now women. Over 300 billion of the world’s
population are workers. 200 million workers are in unions. This is the new
progressive class. This is the force that can take society forward, that can
give human society and life on earth as we know it a future. It is to
this class that people who see that capitalism is going to destroy life on
earth must look. It is the weakness in the thinking of Stephen Hawking that he
speaks of space travel to save the human species and life on earth rather than
look to and recognize the existence and potential role of the working class and
its responsibility at this time in history.
This
weakness of not seeing the existence, and role, and potential, of the working
class is shared by many. In particular it is shared by, in fact it is caused
by, the leaderships of the organizations of the working class – the trade
unions and workers organizations. These leaderships of these organizations do
not believe the working class can build a new society, can end capitalism. They
give no alternative to the working class, that is to to their own members. But
they also give no alternative to the Stephen Hawkings of the world. Serious
people who see the developing catastrophe but because of the role of the
leadership of the working class, the progressive class, in holding back that
class, then that class in reality does not exist in the thinking, the
imagination, of these people. And so this
is where we end up with speculation
about emigrating to other planets. The leadership of the working class
organizations are the biggest obstacle to progress in the world today. They
prevent the progressive class from taking the power in its hands and building a
new society. they prevent people like Hawking from seeing the working class as
the progressive class that can take society forward.
But
it is not only in the imagination and thinking of the leadership of the
workers’ organizations, and in the imagination and thinking of people like
Hawkings that the working class does not exist as an alternative force which
can build a new society. It also does not exist at present in the consciousness
of the majority of the working class itself. The working class is objectively
the progressive class in this period of history. But subjectively it is not yet
so. That is
while it is the progressive class it does not yet see itself as the progressive
class. It does not see itself as
the progressive class, as the class that can change the world, as an
independent class that can build a new world, as a class for itself and a class
for itself and the class that holds in its hands the future of humanity and life on earth.
This
weakness in the thinking of Stephen Hawking is shared by pioneers in other
fields at this time when the working class is not showing a way forward.
We see the thinking and writings of Assange of Wikileaks. He sees and
wishes to break down the censorship and control of knowledge and information
and communication by the capitalist class, he calls it “technological
imperialism” and make this knowledge available to all. He opposes this technological imperialism. This is an admirable and progressive position and objective,
it would weaken, it already is weakening, the control of capitalism over the
consciousness of the working class and society. But Assange’s thinking has the
same weakness as the thinking of Stephen Hawking. It does not see the working
class as an independent force. It does not see that it is the working class organized
as an independent force. organized internationally as a class fighting for a
socialist world, that is the only progressive force in society. It does not see
that the future of the human species and life on earth as we know it depends on
the organizing of the working class internationally as today’s progressive
class, and then this class wresting power from the capitalist class which is
dragging the world and life on earth as we know it to destruction.
The
reason for the weakness in the thinking of these two people and the many like
them are the pro capitalist ideas and actions of the leaderships of the working
class organizations. And along with this the inability of the small forces that
over the last decades have claimed to be revolutionary socialist to put down
roots in the working class. The revolutionary socialist Leon Trotsky explained
that the future of humanity depends on the role played by the leadership of the
working class. This is the historical materialist view. The working class is
the progressive class today and it must take power if life on earth as we know
it is to have a future. The question is this: Will there be a leadership built
in the working class, by the working class, that organizes the working class to
overthrow capitalism and save life on earth, and does so by whatever means
necessary. Or will this task not be carried out and will capitalism continue
until it implodes in on itself and destroys life on earth as we know it. If it
does it will not be a few emptied out cities and pyramids and burial mounds in
the deserts and the oceans that will remain. This time, given the degree to
which science has developed, and to which science and knowledge has develop
with the help of the Hawkings, it will be crippled deformed stumps of
creatures of former life on earth, plant and insect and animal and human which
will gradually themselves disappear leaving close to a dead planet.
The
working class is the progressive class in history today. It is the only force that
can prevent this catastrophe. The working class is like a huge chisel. It has
weight, power, heft, but it has no cutting edge. It is blunt. It is blunt because of its pro capitalist leadership. The task is to remove this leadership
and replace this with an international revolutionary leadership, that is give
the working class a cutting edge. This cutting edge is an organized theoretically based
revolutionary leadership that can end
capitalism. That is a mass revolutionary international of tens and
hundreds of millions of workers. Hopefully such a cutting edge can be put on the presently blunt
chisel of the working class before it is
too late. Hopefully also the Hawkings and
the Assanges of this world can see their way to help in this.
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