When I was learning about "intellectual masturbation", an expert in "intellectual masturbation" who had first learned about it taught me that as a political ideology Marxism was based on science. Marxism was not occult or faith, and Marx was not a necromancer or prophet or good news messenger. Marxism was built on the premise that society was not just a collection of people with their thoughts, words, and actions. Social life was not chaotic as it seemed by naked eye. What looked like a mess, actually structured in such a way to form a unity interwoven that it was impossible to be separated. Finding and understanding the structure is the purpose of Marxism. In knowledge, of course we need simplicity. For that we have to separate various aspects and reality composer elements and lock it into concepts. But the separation is just part of the way of knowledge, the way to capture the reality behind its appearance. Like all representations, separation and outcome, -- namely the concept and theory -- are not reality, only the representation used in the "intellectual masturbation" to understand the community's dynamics. A set of concepts and theories which are constructed by Marx-Engels and later they are called "historical materialism".
For the sake of the continued enjoyment of "intellectual masturbation", I then asked him about what was meant by "materialism" in the historical materialism. I asked it to him because -- in my mind --the first sense hint of materialism were matters related to rah-rah, having fun, to accumulate the wealth, and the belief that everything in this world was only material things. No soul, no spirit, and all the clutter which is believed as the super-natural. I'm not interested at all in materialism if its meaning is just like that. How come? You know I have aspirations; a kind of ideals that I think it is good and will be realized in the running of my life with all means. One of them is that people have to change in such a way into a society that is not only prosperous, but also fair. A society in which there is no oppression and exploitation of man by man.
"Oh, I do not mean so," he said. He said, 'materialism' refers to the premise developed by Marx, that the powers and material relations of production and reproduction of society's existence determining the society's dynamics in general, including the forms of political relations and worldview. It means, all things considered reasonable by most people is valid without exception in society, including the views of good man, good family, or good political system, for example, actually conditioned by the appearance and dynamics of the forces of production from the terms of the existence of society. Not a social consciousness determines social existence of the people, but on the contrary.
Judging from the order of the existence of society, there must be people in this world who think and act towards each other. Because people are not spirits, and the world in which they live is also not heaven, of course they need a means of living. Because magic or miracles can not create food, clothing, and others who are required to live - as the bodies - in a sustainable manner, then a collection of people should produce it. In producing the means of life, they are inevitably confronted with nature as the only source of power. In the context of face to face with nature and its neighbor, the community created the means as well as the relations of production social in managing it.
In producing the means of life, they are inevitably confronted with each other through particular production social relationship. Now, for example, there are people who can stay alive without directly dealing with nature with their hands. Because they are living things, although they do not have to work to meet the needs of their life, but they will not be able to survive without other people who deal directly with nature through their work. Both parties are bound to one another in a relationship.
Their social relationships with people who work producing the means of life, according to the Marxists, is the relations of production. The relations of production is not something determined by divine power, but it is conditioned by the strength of the existing production material. The relations of production is not determined by the will and desire of individuals. When the power of the material is low, ie when the technology is so simple, so that almost no surplus can be generated, it is not the people's choice when they cooperate with one another to produce the means of life. But when the power of material production is so great so that resulting in surplus, it is not the people's choice if they then are divided through divisions of labor with consequences on work distribution of the working class. Only at the level when the surplus overflow and the overflow is then channeled more to groups that do not work, then there is the possibility for the people can live without working, but by taking over the work result of other party.
Changes in the productive power leads to changes in production relations. Changes in relation to change the position of people in different spheres of the world. Certain worlds condition people how to perceive and act on themselves and others. So, "materialism" in historical materialism refers to the viewpoint on the power that shape the dynamics of society and its institutions and its worldview. For materialists, not social institutions, awareness, and worldviews that exist in the community or specific social groups that determine the appearance and dynamics of material relations and the relations of production, but on the contrary. Hence also, the struggle of the people in the realm of material becomes the keys of changes in whole society. That was the first lesson I learned when I first learned Marxist intellectual masturbation from an expert.
Wow, then I wonder to myself, "How long does it takes to ejaculate after masturbation intellectual?"
If such theory is practiced through masturbation by the Marxist intellectual who never bother to hold a committee meeting for hours until dawn in preparing protests of trade unions, never sweat in coordinating the counteraction against low wages, then what will be obtained is not satisfaction, but dizziness, because like masturbation in general, what can be done only make-believe reality through abstract concepts. Unlike the original intercourse, masturbation builders can only fondle the structure and tendencies of invisible capitalistic exploitation, not body heat which is directly felt by the senses. Moreover, during the process of shadowing of intellectual masturbation that, then what is produced only new shadows in mind that its existence can only be enjoyed with new imagery as well. Of course, there is the exchange of the results of this imagery among intellectuals. But still, what is produced from this exchange is nothing more than shadows, though perhaps more elaborate reality that is being discussed. Moreover, there's no direct lessons that can be contributed to the process of direct intercourse with capitalism but the abstract concepts and theories. Yet for those who perform direct intercourse, what is needed is not concept and theory, but a potent recipe for praxis that can change the position of capitalist body in order to fit with the working class interests.
So, actually what is the importance of intellectual masturbation? As long as we believe that capitalism is nothing more than an events that takes place in front of our naked eyes, then in my opinion, there is no shred of contribution that can be drawn from the activities of intellectual masturbation. There's no such thing as the structure or exploitative mechanisms behind the behavior of people who go beyond and do not depend on the consciousness of individuals. As long as we believe the only reality of capitalism is concrete reality which can be directly "enjoyed", then, of course, intellectual masturbation is just a waste of time activities committed by the cowards with vagueness of its base end for the victory of working class struggle.
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[CZ-013016]
