Bertrand Russell on Karl Marx

'For those of us who reject Marx, can you offer us any positive philosophy to help us towards a more hopeful future?' Such a progressive imperative.

Watching the clip of Bertrand Russell asked about Marx invokes many responses of his obvious genius and credulity - a sage philosopher who can speak no wrong, whose every claim us mere mortals should adopt; presumably by virtue of our paltry relative intellect. Such false meritocracy. Russell says to doubt - we'll doubt the Marxist of course. 

Marxism was an 'unkind' philosophy engendering this dichotomy of good and bad amongst the proletariat and bourgeoisie respectively; consequently, it contrives social confrontation. It therefore follows that it cannot bring happiness. The presumption being that this confrontation is not inference from historical induction but the almost Nietzschean will to power of a man vying for retribution. How audacious a claim to assume we're the apex of history.

The biggest giveaway here is the invocation of morality through implicit normative assumptions; if one wants happiness then be kind. Although Marx rebutted the Enlightenment philosophy he was very much a symptom of it, a rational philosopher who was about finding the law like qualities in the material conditions of society, not an imperative to some ideal utopia. 

Russell, as an Enlightenment liberal, evaluates capitalism and socialism by asking what they ought to produce for individuals - the very reason Marx was wary of Enlightenment philosophy. Happiness? Freedom? 

These concepts are a derivative of circumstances, not some formal conclusion that ought to be realised within the naturalised ahistorical confines of a system which via a division of labour regulate social relations - these themselves predicated on the freedom of the individual and it's concomitant function to the economic system. 

In fact, it's actually a very counterproductive way of thinking. Try negotiating for your freedom notes and you'll see how far a kindly spirit gets you. 'We know it's unfair and people are suffering, but...'. Better to be grateful than to even contemplate that exploitation and miserly circumstances could be intrinsic to a specific mode of production. 

Anything else would attempt to cross the threshold of permissible discourse. What temerity displayed by the pauper to think for themselves and compromise the unhappiness of the bourgeoisie.