No claims on the “Truth”
IN HIS otherwise interesting critique of "Leninism" ("Leninism, No?"), Paul Le Blanc makes the rather questionable claim, "Sometimes, with sectarian panache, the 'Marxist-Humanists' use this to indicate that only they--along with Marx and Hegel--really comprehend the profound Truth of Marx."
But surely no one would ever claim that "only Marxist-Humanists...along with Marx and Hegel" understand Marx, since Hegel died when Marx was only 13 years old. How could Hegel "understand" a thinker who hadn't written a word until a decade after his death?
Moreover, as a long-time Marxist-Humanist, I don't recall claiming that no one but we know "the profound Truth" (whatever that is) of Marx. If it's best to avoid what Paul calls "sectarian" attacks among leftists, isn't it best that such criticism (like charity) begin at home?
Peter Hudis, from the Internet
Paul Le Blanc replies:
OF COURSE, my friend Peter Hudis is right. Raya Dunayevskaya did pioneering work on the relationship between Hegel and Marx, for which I respect her greatly--and Peter is among those carrying on that good work. As I explain in my article, I strongly disagree with her stress on the notion of "post-Marx Marxism," which I understand as adding up to saying "Marx Yes! Marxism No." In making my point, however, I slipped into a faulty characterization which--as he notes--goes against the spirit of what I was trying to say.
