Karachi, May 05, 2023 (PPI-OT): Fast changing mode of production have created a new working class and resulted in a new socio-economic matrix that was not present when Karl Marx was alive, said social science experts, addressing a gathering of workers, trade unionists and intellectuals here on Friday.
The event entitled “Dialogue with youth on Marx and his works” was organised by Alternate, a youth organization in collaboration with National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) here at Arts Council of Pakistan.
Prof Dr Riaz Shaikh, Dean of Social Sciences at Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (ZABIST) lauding the effort of Alternate to hold the dialogue said that Karl Marx also believed in creating an alternate world. His major contribution is to give awarenesses and understanding of society on scientific basis. He said that as per the German philosopher Hegel the relationship between self and otherness was the fundamental defining characteristic of human awareness and activity. However, Marx thought that the mode of production and production relations were fundamental is determining the relations between people and their society. Thus, he introduced the concept of dialectical materialism.
Dr Riaz Shaikh said that the other major contribution of Marx was that he supported the idea that a social system could be changed with an organised struggle. Talking about the theory of alienation, he said Marx started with historical materialism and told that the mode of relations in a feudal system were somewhat flexible but they became rigid in the capitalist mode of economy. He said change in mode of production changed the way of exploitation of the working classes.
He said the concept of an exploitation free society was given in Utopia of Thomas More but Marx and Engels further worked on this concept. He said these concepts resulted in a strong trade union movement in Europe and for the first time ruling classes agreed to give some concession to the workers. He said this concept further developed and the theory of welfare state was introduced. He said after the American great recession, noted economist Keynes gave its theory about employment.
He said that after the creation of a uni-polar world the theory of alienation of Marx is being understood in a new light. In this new period trade unions went weakened, a new class urban people named modern conservatives was born, ultranationalist movement got a new strength instead of globalism and instead of doing politics on basic ideological issues, the petty issues like roads and civic infrastructure got the central place in political arena. He suggested that we should study these new socio-political developments in the light of the works of Karl Marx.
Noted scholar Professor Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed in keynote said that truth must be repeated. He said Karl Marx should be read under a methodology of the development of his own thought to see how the ideas of Mrax changed and developed with the course of time. He said that Marx is accused of sacrificing individuality of man for the cause of collectivity, but they forget that the center of the ideology of Marx is the relation of a person with his society. He said to understand this relation Marx sought help of history. He came to the conclusion that the class based system is the main barrier to creative production process of a person.
He said Marx said that the production mode and its relationships shape the other aspects of society. He said many predictions of Marx could not prove true about changes in Europe and India but his debate was scientific and based on information and knowledge available to him at that time. He said his critics are themselves Marxists who called the Neo Marxists. He said that the fall of Soviet Union was not the fall of an ideology but a fall of a state that invested more in defence than social sector to cater the basic needs of its citizens. He said Karl Marx is still relevant in our society and our political workers, thinkers and intellectuals should read his works. HBWWF secretary general Zehra Khan, Nasir Mansoor of NTUF and others were also present.
For more information, contact:
Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF)
726, Mashrique Centre, Block 14, Gulshan-e-Iqbal,
Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-37075324
Website: https://hbwwf.org/