I did not dismiss Kautsky, and I do appreciate Plekhanov. Read my extensive quote from Kautsky. Kautsky argues that the “effective strength of the proletariat” receives “a mighty increase” not directly from material wage increases, but symbolic victories that enhance the “energy of its volition for the class struggle.” Kautsky’s argument is a direct refutation of determinism.

-March 28

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randomposter33
March 28, 20195:20 pm
“He has filled reams of paper on the subject and has uttered an infinite amount of sentimental, philistine nonsense in order to settle this conflict in favour of morality and the role of the individual. Actually, there is no conflict here at all; it has been invented by Mr. Mikhailovsky, who feared (not without reason) that determinism would cut the ground from under the philistine morality he loves so dearly. The idea of determinism, which postulates that human acts are necessitated and rejects the absurd tale about free will, in no way destroys mans reason or conscience, or appraisal of his actions. Quite the contrary, only the determinist view makes a strict and correct appraisal possible instead of attributing everything you please to free will. Similarly, the idea of historical necessity does not in the least undermine the role of the individual in history: all history is made up of the actions of individuals, who are undoubtedly active figures.”

-Lenin, the above quote in context.

You have seriously blundered in your misunderstanding of Lenin’s argument. Lenin says clearly there is no conflict at all between determinism and free will. Only “philistine and sentimental nonsense” could be used to invent a conflict between the two. Your fear, as opposed to the fear Lenin addressed above could be characterized as a fear not “(not without reason)” that a wrong appraisal has been made by the party leadership, and this cuts the ground from under the determinists who reason that since the party must lead the revolution to victory, it must not make any mistakes in appraising its own actions. The revolution itself will determine the actions of the party. In fact, Lenin’s entire biography shows us that the “actions of individuals, who are undoubtedly active figures” alone, and without exception, brought the party to a correct appraisal, a correct program, a course of action, and gave it “the energy of volition” to carry forward the program to revolution and into the policies of the new government. Only free will can explain why individuals do not bow down to the inertia of established governing bodies, even within the revolutionary party, and then explain away every wrong appraisal as the inevitable product of [determinism].

You do a great disservice to Lenin by mischaracterizing his words so one-sidedly. Please make more of an effort to overcome this philistine and purely divisive approach to the problems of the revolutionary party.

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