this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2023
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[–] banneryear1868@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I can imagine plenty of viable alternatives.

You are right that I cannot imagine a viable alternative.

Otherwise pretty basic points that any decent book on socialism or alternatives to capitalism basically addresses in the first chapter.

[–] galloog1@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Basic points that I have never seen in any book on socialism and you are yet to provide. Maybe you should be the one reading more instead of vaguely suggesting that I do. Maybe then you could provide them.

[–] banneryear1868@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

I mean the most introductory book Blackcoats and Reds deals a lot with this and there's a whole chapter on the weaknesses of stable socialist/ML states. Whatever you think is stable or good under a capitalist government is merely because the negatives you associate specifically with socialism are exported, but are actually far more severe.

[–] zbyte64@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'm going through this one now, it's framed as a thought experiment for a bottom up society: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/p-m-bolo-bolo

[–] galloog1@lemmy.world -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This thought experiment is based on an unrealistic view not only of natural history but also of the human condition and modern economics. It is based on a view of how easy the perceived human condition was before the existence of larger society.

"In prehistoric times our deal seems to have been not so bad. During the Old Stone Age (50,000 years ago) we were only few, food (game and plants) was abundant, and survival required only little working time and moderate efforts."

This period of hunter-gatherers was largely the experience of 90% of the time looking for food. It was only the emergence of sustained and coordinated agriculture requiring public works that this started to change. Modern industrialized agriculture has enabled populations not sustainable in that text and requires a larger coordination of people than a small commune can support. That text does not cover larger governance and relies on high-output lands to sustain itself, let alone others. If you cannot enable specialization, you cannot scale nor can you provide the lifestyle people are accustomed to enjoying post-WWII.

There are already communes like this everywhere and nobody is saying that you cannot start one. The only issue is people trying to force others into this system. It starts based on oppression regardless of feasibility.

[–] zbyte64@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 10 months ago

It does cover how larger industry would be coordinated, it is not advocating for communes. Feel like we're reading two different things...