Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • O'CONNORjamesCapitalismEnv PDF

    Uploaded by

    Ati Ramírez
    14 views20 pages

    Original Title

    O'CONNORjamesCapitalismEnv.pdf

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    14 views20 pages

    O'CONNORjamesCapitalismEnv PDF

    Uploaded by

    Ati Ramírez

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 20
    31 Capitalism, Nature, Socialism: A Theoretical Introduction James O'Connor ‘Those who ini that environmen destruction) a noting kode with Mansa Tel lee rannanpe choose to call Marxism wll have nating to do with what happens the worl. (Aiden Foster-Carter) ‘Summary ‘This article expounds the traditional Marsst theory of the contradiction between forces and relainns of production, aver-production of capital and economic 6s and the process of ea mlaed restructuring of productive forces and production rlaions i ere Natt casera hence potentaly socialist forms. This exposition provides a Prt departure for cay gical Marxist theory ofthe contradiction between capitalist production relations and Fees the conditions of production, under-production of capital and econo isis,and the proces of crss-induced restructuring of production conditions andthe social relations thereof es a more transparently sci, hence potentially soca forms In shor there may be not ‘one but two paths to socialism in Tate capitalist society eons wen processes of capital overproduction and under-production $f by no means matually exchusve, they may offset or compensate for one anoles it Wee which create the appearance of relatively stable processes of capitalist developmen ‘study of the combination of are ea oes: nthe contemporary word may throw light on the deci of traditional labor alist moverents and the rise of "new socal movements 3s SECS of sovial transfor som in sinlar ways that traditional Maraism juminates the PC ‘of traditional labor atop t nay De that “ecological Marxism’ thers light on the PTS of new social saovement, Although ecology and nature; the politics ofthe body feminism, and the fami. smoreTpan movements and related topics are usually discussed {> post-Marxist terms, the aretoie deployed inthis article is se-consciously Marxist and ‘designed to appeal to Marxist ce vark remains within a “scientific” discourse hence OS theorists and fellow travelers whos Theor ae ely to be convinced by post- Marxist discussions of he problem of capital's use weno Spuweof nature (including human nite) in the modern worl, Howes cr the emphasisi0 aaa apfaleom a politcal economic scientific discourses tactical not sic In reality, more From Capitalism, Nature, Socials (s986)y 1-38 Reprinted with PermsSon n forces and © process of re transpar- pparture for lations and sis,and the ‘ons thereof may be not create the ional aber nal liber sew soi he ami conn he Navas ne thot piel se asin tyme ili Siete isis ln tno CAPITALISM, NATURE, SOCIALISM. 439 ci each ous socal relationships, often non-capitalist or anicaptalis, constitute “cv society which need to be addressed on its own practical and theoretical terms, Inthe words, seca and collective action is not meant to he construed mercly as derivative of seona forces, asthe last section of the article hopefully will make clear. 4. Introduction In1944 Karl Polanyi published his masterpiece, The Gret Transformation, which discussed the sin which the growth of the capitalist market impaired or destioyed its own soctel ah rn ronmental conditions! Despite the fact tha this book i alive with insights into the problen: of SSpromic development and the socal and natural environment, it was widely fergowers The aera ela imits to economic grt andthe intereltionshipsbeeween devon, iment and environment was reintroduced into Western bourgeois thought inthe late oeec so Fae ere a sls have been mixed and highly dubiow, Plans work remains» shining {igh in heaven filed with dying stars and black holes of bourgcois nawaralony ne Malthsianism, Club of Rome technocratism, romantic deep eclogyism, and United Natheng Fe ea lis expleitaton, capitalist criss, uneven and combined capitalist develop mre tarional independence struggles, and soon are missing from these kinds of eccounne The rely ofthese and most other modern efforts to discuss the problem of capitaions neeete ni ciuafim wither onthe vine because they fal to focus on the nature of specially captain that is the process whereby capital sits own barrier or limit because of te destuctive forms of proletaranization of human nature and appropriation of aber aed Gisleation of external nature’ The usual approaches to the problem.—the wleniscatcg of mits to growth” in terms of “resource scarcity ecological frailty” “harmful eer , ultural valucs”“tragedy ofthe commons” “over-popiilation;"*waste ‘production treadmill,” etc, either ignore or mangle Mary's theories of his. ‘onally produced forms of nature and capitalist accumulation and development. peshould ot be surprising since Marx wrote litle pertaining othe ways that capitalimits ‘Rell by impairing its own socal and environmental conditions hence inctesing the costs ond SMPenss of capital, chereby threatening capitals bility to produce profit i thieatening coos {amis iss More, he wrote litle or nothing about the effects of social struggles orgeniod Srna the Provision of the conditions of production onthe osts and expenses and vatablity OF capital. Nor did he theorize the relationship between govial aul muterial diteneiona ne [reduction conditions, excepting his extended discussion of ground tent (ie. socal relation between landed and industrial capital and material and economic relation between vere dt and indstrial production), Marx was, however, convinced of atleast three things The ee Ihe at deficiencies of production conditions or“natural conditions” (“bad harvests") may take tk form of economic criss Second, he was convinced of the more general proposition thee sr gttiers to production ate truly external tothe mode of production the productiveness *bour is fetered by physical conditions")* but that in capitalism these barriers assume the Of economic crisis’ Put another way, some bareiers are “general” not “specific” to capital "Nm-What is specifics the way these barrier assume the form of criss. Third, Marx believed that ful consumption, 440 JAMES O'CONNOR, capitalist agriculture and silviculture are harmful to nature, as well a that capitalist exploitation is harmful to human laborpower. In sum, Marx believed that capitalist farming (for example) ruined soil quality. He was also cleat that bad harvests take the form of economic crisis. However, (although he did state that rational agriculture is incompatible with capitalism)’ he never considered the possibilty that ecologically destructive methods of agriculture might raise the costs of the elements of capital, which, in turn, might threaten economic crisis of a particular type, namely, underproduction of capital * Put another way, Marx ppat tw and theo together to argue that “natural barrier ay be capitalistically produced barriers, ie. a “second” capitalized nature.” In other words, there may exist a contradiction of capitalism which leads to an sucial Wansforsnation, cological” theory of ctsis and 2. Two Kinds of Crisis Theory ‘The point of departure ofthe traditional Marxist theory of economic crisis and the transition to socialism is the contradiction between capitalist productive force and production relations The specific form of this contradiction is between the production and realization of value and or between the production and circulation of capital. The agency of socialist revolution isthe working class. Capitalist production relations constitute the immediate object, of socal transformation. The ste of tansformation is palitics and the state and the pencess of production and exchange. By contrast, the point of departure of an “ecological Marxist™ theory of economic crisis and transition to socialism is the contradiction between capitalist production relations (and produc tive forces) and the conditions of capitalist production, or “capitalist relations and forces of social reproduction.” "Max defined thee kinds of production conditions, The at is “eternal phys cond surplus valu power tothe communal, general conditions of social production eg."“means of communication” ‘Today “external physical conditions” are discussed in terans uf te viability of eco-system, the adequacy of atmospheric ozone levels, the stability of coastlines and watersheds; soil, air and water quality; and so on. “Laborpower” is discussed in terms of the physical and mental well being of workers; the kind and degree of socialization; toxicity of work relations and the work: cers’ ability to cope; and human beings as social productive forces and biological organisms generally. “Communal conditions” are discussed in terms of “social capital,’ “infrastructure” and so on, Implied in the concepts of “external physical conditions’ “laborpower,” and “com ‘munal conditions” are the concepts of space and “social environment.” We include as a produc ‘or the natural elements entering into constant and variable capital. Second, the “labor 9 workers was defined as the “personal conditions of production.” Third, Marx referred tion condition, therefore, “urban spac which structures and is structured by the relationship between people and “environment.” which in turn helps to produce social environments. In short, production conditions include commodified or capitalized materiality and sociality excluding commodity production, distr bution, and exchange themselves. (“urban capitalized nature”) and other forme of «pact themsels. diate ob process. vse pal Intrad and econ ecologic productic restructu parently Inecolog tions of tentseg populati Intrad tion relat ism. In ¢ duction are “defer capitalist become duction 3. The Intradiv. internal also prod capitalist exploitation Je was also state that a sibility that ts of capital, oduction of al barriers” other words, nt crisis and relations ® oF value and of socialist diate object process of wcerisisand nd produc. «sof social cal condi the labor ex referred stems, the vi air and sta well the work cnganisms structure! ind “com- a produc sof space vnment” include on, distr- CAPITALISM, NATURE, SOCIALISM 441 The specific form of the contradiction between capitalist production re and production conditions i also between the production and realization of valuz and surplus value. The agency of social transformation is “new social movements” nr new seat struggles inva 2 4etes within production over workplace health and safety, ov waste producicg and disposal, and so on, The social relationships of reproduction ofthe conditions or produc: sion (eg, state and family as structures of social relations and alin the relaiunt of predating themselves insofar as “new struggles” occur within capitalist production) constitute the inne diate object of social wansformation. The immediate ste of transformation is the manna] broces of reproduction of production conditions (division of labor within the fam lana aes gation et.) and the production proces isl, again insofar as new struggles occur within the capitalist workplace, In traditional Marxist theory, the contradiction between production and economic crisis takes the form of a “realization lations (and forces) and realization of value crisis" or over-production of capital. In ecological Marnist theory, economic crisis assumes the form ofa “liquidity evsin' on aes Production of capita. In traditional theory, economic crisis is the cauldron in which capital ‘eatnustures productive forces and production relations in ways which make both more wen aaa soca in form and content, «indicative planning, nationalization profit-sharing et in ecological Marxism, economic crisis isthe cauldron in which capital restructures the cen, tons of production also in ways which make them more transparently social inform and cok ponaiete manent yield forests, land selamation, regional land use and/or resource planning Population policy, health policy, labor market regulation, toxic wast disposal planning, ete in waditional theory. the development of more social forms of productive fees am produc {fon tations Is regarded as a necessary but not sufficient condition forthe transition te soci ism In ecological Marxism, the development of more social forms of the provision of the Sonditions of production also may be regarded as a necessary but not aufcient cancinion he {Sealism. It should be quickly added that an “ecological socialism” would be different than thet dosti BY tational Marxism fitst, because fom the perspective ofthe “conditions of pro- duction” most struggles have strong, particulars. “romanti anti-capialist” dimension fg {te “defensive” rather than “offensive,” and, second, because it has become obvious that mach jintalist technology, forms of work, etc, including the ideology of material progress, have become part ofthe problem not the soli. in sum, there may be not ane but to path vo {tcalism, oF, to be more accurate, two tendencies which together lead to increased (albeit his, Iculy reversible) socialization of productive forces, production relations, canditions of pro “fection and sovial relations of reproduction of these conditions, 3. The Tra ‘onal Marxist Account of Capitalism as a Crisis-Ridden System {n traditional Marxism, the contradiction between the production and ctculation of capital is ucrnal” to capitalism because capitalist production is not only commodity production but tho Production of surplus value(s. exploitation of lbw) Isa valorization procesein which (blulists extract not only socially necessary labor (labor requited to reproduce constant and “rlabe capita) but also sueplus labor from the working clas. Everything else being the same,” aa JAMES O'CONNOR any given amount of surplus value produced and/or any given rate of exploitation will have the effect of crating a particular shortfall of commodity demand at market prices. Or pure ‘pposite way any particular shortage of commovlty demand presupposes a given anon, surplus value produced and/or a given rate of exploitation. Further, the greater the amour of surphs value produced and/or the higher therate of exploitation, the greater thedffeultrn¢ scalzing value und surplus value in the market. Thus, the base problem of eapitaism is whee does he extra commodity demand which tequited to buy the product of surplus labor ong nate? Time-honored answers include capitalist class consumption: capital investment whic, ‘made independently of changes in wage advances and consumer demand: markets cated these new investments; new investment, consumption, or government spending financed expanded business. consumer or government creitthe theft af markets of other capitals andicy capitals in other countries: and so on. However, these “solutions” to the problem of value rsh, zation (that of maintaining a level of aggregate demand for commodities which is sufficient ip ‘maintain a given rate of profit without thieslening economic crisis and the devalation of hued capital) tur into other kinds of potential “problems” of capitalism, Capitalist consumption constitutes an unproductive use of surplus value, as does the utilization of capital inthe sphere of circulation withthe sim of selling commodities faster, New capital investment may expand faster than, or independently of, new consumer demand with the result of increasing chances of 4 more severe realization criss in the future. While a well-developed credit system can provide the wherewithal to expand commodity demand independent of increases in wages and salavis the expansion of consumer demand based on increases in consumer or morigage credit greater than increases in wages and salaries threatens to transform a potential crisis of capital over. Production into crisis of capital under-production. Moreover, any expansion of credit creates debt (a well as assets) and financial speculation instabilities in financial structures, thus threat ns acini in the financial system, The thet of markets from other capital implies the concen tration and/or centralization of capital hence a worsening ofthe problem of realization of value in the future and/or social unrest arising from the destruction of weaker capitals, patel insta bility bitter international rivalries, protectionism, even war. And so on. In sum, economic criss can assume varied forms besides the traditional “realization crisis” including liquidity criss, financial crsis or collapse, ical crisis ofthe state, and social and politial erisis tendencies. However, whatever the specific forms of historical crises (the lst above is meant tobe suggestive not exhaustive), and whatever the specific course of their development and resolution, most i not all Marssts accept the premise based on the rel conditions of capitalist exploitation that capitalism isa crsis-ridden system, 4. The Traditional Marxist Account of Capitalism as a Crisis-Dependent ‘System and the Transition to Soci: In traditional Marxism, capitalism is not only crsis-ridden but also crisis-dependent, Capital accumulates through crisis, which functions as an economic disciplinary mechanism. Crisis is the occasion which capital scizes to restructure and sativnalize itself in order to restore its capac ity to exploit labor and accumulate. There are wo general, interdependent ways in which capital (andexe tion, and making period 0 Be restructu sis-ine tion rela changes compute opment etc. And, producti partly as The se intradvc planning tive plan Whateve of develo ductive tions tod, financial sharing © Tosa planning planned « contradic on will have the es. Or put the iven amount of ter the amount the difficulty of lism is, where sus labor orig cement which i kets created by ng financed by italsandior of value real is sufficient to uation of fixed consumption Lin the sphere nt may expand wg chances of sean provide ‘sand salaries, credit greater F capital over thus theeat- cs the concen: ation of value political fasta quidity crisis, is cendemies. be suggestive ution, most if “oitation that dent ‘dent, Capital vis, Crisis i re its capac- which capital CAPITALISM, NATURE, SOCIALISM 443 changes itself to weather the crisis and resolve it in capitals own favor. One is changes in the pro dvetive forces, the second i changes in the production elaions. Changesin ether typcaly pre suppose or require new forms of direct and indirect cooperation within and between individual capitals and/or within the state and/or between capital and the state. More cooperation or plan- "he efect of making production more tausparently socal, meanwhile subverting com ‘modity and capital fetishism, or the apparent “naturalness” of capitalist economy. The telos of crisis thus to create the possibility of imagining a transition to socialism. Crisis-induced changes in productive forces by capital seeking to defend or restore profits {and exemplified by technological changes which lower unit costs, increase flexibility in produc tion, and so on) have the systematic effect of lowering the costs of reproducing the work force, making rav materials available more cheaply of their utilization more efficient; redueing the period of production and/or circulation, etc. Whatever the immediate sources of the crisis, restructuring productive forces with the aim of raising profits isa foregone conclusion, More, mmodites pital. sof supply ingasif they 1m of capital ered species CAPITALISM, NATURE, SOCIALISM 45 private postal services, voucher education, etc), the state places itself between capital and ature, oF mediates capital and nature, withthe immediate result that the conditions of capital Sstproduction ate politicized, This micaus that whether ot wot :aw materials and labor fores and useful spatial and infrastructural configurations are available to capita in requisite quantities and qualities and atthe right time and place depends on the political power of capital, the power of social movements which challenge particular capitalist forms of production conditious (es struggles over land as means of production versus means of consumption), state structures ‘which mediate or screen struggles over the definition and use of production conditions (e., zoning boards), and so on." Excepting the bianches of the state vegulating money and certain aspects of foreign relations (those which do not have any obvious relation to accessing foreign sources of raw materiale, laborpower et.) very state agency and political party agenda may be regarded isa kind of interface between capital and nature (including human beings and space). Insum, whether or not capita faces external barriers” to accumulation, including external bar riers in the form of new social struggles over the definition and use of production conditions (ie. “social barriers” which mediate between internal or specific and external or general barri- ers) whether or not these “external barriers” take the form of economic crisis; and whether oF not economic crisis is resolved in favor of or against capital are political and ideological ques tions fist and foremost, economic questions only secondarily. This isso because production conditions are by definition politicized (unlike production itself) and also because the whole corpus of Marx’s work privileges laborpower as a production condition; access to natute is mediated by struggles while external nature has no subjectivity of its own. Laborpower alone struggles around the conditions ofits own well-being and social environment broadly defined. An ecological Marxist account of capitalism asa crsis-ridden system focuses on the way that the combined power of capitalist production relations and productive forces self-destruct by impairing or destroying rather than reproducing their own conditions ("conditions” defined in terms of both their social and material dimensions). Such an account stresses the process of exploitation of labor and sel-expanding capital: tate regulation ofthe provision of production conditions; and social struggles organized around capital's use and abuse of these conditions. The main question—does capital create its own barriers or limits by destroying its own produc Sion candlitinny?—nevdla to he asked in terme of specific use values, ax well as exchange value This is so because conditions of production are not produced as commodities, hence problems pertaining to them are “site specifi” including the individual body as a unique site” The ques- ‘ion—why does capital impair its own conditions?—needs wo be asked in terms of the theory of self-expanding capital, its universalizing tendencies which tend to negate principles of site speci- fciy, its lack of ownership of laborpower, external nature, and space, hence (without state oF ‘monopolistic capitalist planning) capitals inability to prevent itslt from impairing its own con- ditions. The question—why do social struggles against the destruction of production conditions Covhich resist the capitalization of nature, for example, environmental public health, occupa tional health and safety, urban, and other movements) potentially impair capital Rexbilty and Variabilty?—needs to be asked in terms of conflicts over conditions defined both as use values and exchange values capital's own conditions hence Examples of capitalist accumulation impairing or destroying threatening its own profits and capacity to produce and accumulate more capital are well Aa1uwn. The watshing of the atmosphere will inevitably destruy peuple, placa and profs, notte speak of other species life. Aci rain destroys forests and lakes and buildings and profits alike, Salinization of water tables, toxic wastes soll erosion, et. impair nature and profitability. The pesticide treadmill destroys profits as well as nature. Urban capital running on an “urban renewal treadmill” impairs its own conditions hence profits, eg. congestion costs, high rents. tc.” The decrepit state ofthe physical infrastructure in this country may be mentioned inthis connection. There is also an “education treadmill“ welfare treadmill “technological fix tread rill “health care treadmill et.” This line of thinking also applies to the “personal conditions of production ... laborpower” in connection with capital's destruction of traditional family life as wel s the introduction of work relations which impair coping skills, and the presently toxic social environment generally. In these ways, we can safely introduce “scarcity” into the theory of evonennie css ina Matas uot neu-Maldhusian, way. We can also introduce the pos sibility of capital underproduction once we add up the rising costs of reproducing the conditions of production. Examples include the health bill necessitated by capitalist work and family rela tions: the drug and drug rehabilitation bill the vast sums expended asa result of the deteriora- tion ofthe socal environment (e-. police and divorce bills the enormous revenues expended to prevent further environmental destruction and clean-up or repair the legacy of ecological destruction from the past; monies required to invent and develop and produce synthetics and “natural” substitutes as means and objects of production and consumption; the huge sums required to pay off oil sheiks and energy companies, eg. ground rent, monopoly profit, et: the garbage disposal bill; the extra costs of congested urban space; the costs falling on governments, and peasants and workers in the Third World as a result ofthe twin crises of ecology and devel- opment. And so on. No one has estimated the total revenues required to compensate for impaired or lost production conditions andlor to restore these conditions and develop subst tutes. Iti conceivable that total revenues allocated to protecting o restoring production condi tions may amount to one-half or more of the total social product—all unproductive expenses from the standpoint of self-expanding capital. Is it possible to link these unproductive expendi ture (and thote anticipated inthe fate) to the vast credit and debt system inthe world today? To the growth of fictitious capital? To the fiscal crisis ofthe state? To the internationalization of production? The traditional Marxist theory of crisis interprets credit/debt structures as the result of capital overproduction, Ecological Marxism would interpret the same phenoxena ws the result of capital underproduction and unproductive use of capital produced. Do these ten- dencies reinforce or offset one another? Without prejudging the answer, the question clearly needs tobe on the agenda of Marxist theory. 6. Tawards an Ecological Marxist Account of Capitalism as a Crisis-Ridden ‘System and the Transition to Socialism Neither Mata nor any Maraists have developed a theory of the relationship between crise induced changes in the conditions of production and the est socialism. In traditional Marxism, crisis-induced changes in productive forces and relations are blishment of the wnditions of peer st eae ees pee ermine ‘ono bre also dete erste Sosban ‘here Toned conto snaithin fore of “reali fon hash pola seaming tex repro immedi pros tr prep tons 8 tons of poses ot education and assoc duction « duction « and regio immedia changes change 1 which ne capital are well nd profits, not to and profits alike. profitability. The vg on an “urban ‘sts, high rents, rentioned in this logical fix treads sonal conditions itionalist family rd the presently arcity” into the roduce the pos athe conditions and family rela ues expended to v of ecological synthetics and the huge sums profit, ete; the 1 governments logy and devel mpensate for develop substi- ‘duction condi- civ expenses vctive expendi-g “ re world today? jonalization of uuctures as the phenomena as Do these ten- uuestion clearly s-Ridden vetween erisis~ conditions of ui relations are CAPITALISM, NATURE, SOCIALISM 447 determined by the need to cut costs, restructure capital, etc. Forces and relations are transformed inta more transparently social forms. In ecological Marxism lke traditional Marxism, capita iam is also not only crisis-ridden but also crisis-dependent, Crisis-induced changes in produc tion conditions (whether criss itself originates in capital overproduction or underproduction) ane abo determined by the need to cut costs, reduce ground rent, increase llexibilty, et, and to restructure conditions themselves, ¢., expand preventive health, reforestation, reorganization of urban space, et. There are two general, interdependent ways in which capital (helped by the state) changes its own conditions to weather the criss and to resolv it in capital’ favor. One is changes in condi: tions defined as productive forces. The other i changes in the social relations of reproduction of conditions. Changes in cither typically presuppose or require new forms of cooperation between and within capitals and/or between capital and the state and/or within the state, or more socal forms of the “regulation of the metabolism between hunnankind and nature” as well as the ‘metabolism’ between the individual and the physical and social environment. More coopers: tion has the effect of making production conditions (already politicized) more transparently Political, thereby subverting further the apparent “naturalness” of capital existence. The telos of Criss is thus to create the possibilty of imagining more clearly a transition to socialism: Crisis-induced changes in conditions as productive forces with the purpose af defending or restoring profit (exemplified by technological changes which lower congestion costs, increase flexibility inthe utilization of raw materialssetc) have the systemic effect of lowering the costs of reproducing the work force; making raw materials available more cheaply, ete. Whatever the immediate sources of the crisis, restructuring production conditions with the aim of raising Profits isa foregone conclusion, More, crsis-induced changes in production conditions imply or presuppose more social forms of the social relations of reproduction of production condi tions, eg. more direct forms of cooperation within the sphere of production conditions. An ‘example ofa change in production conditions today, and the associated change inthe social rela- ions of reproduction of production conditions, is integrated pest management which presup- Poses not only more coordination of farmers’ efforts but also more coordination of training and education programs. Another example is preventative health technology in relation to AIDS. and associated changes in community relations in a more cooperative direction. The second form of restructuring is crisis-indueed changes in the social relations of repro: duction of production conditions introduced with the aim of exercising mute woul of plo duction conditions, ie. more planning. Historically planning has taken many forms, eg. urban and regional transportation and health planning, natural resource planning, et.* Whatever the ‘muediate sources of crisis, the restructuring ofthese social relations with the aim of developing ‘mote control of production conditions is also a foregone conclusion. More, crsis-induced changes in the socal relations of reproduction of production conditions imply or presuppose more social forms of production conditions defined as productive forces. An example of such a change today is “planning” to deal with urban smog which presupposes coalitions of associa ‘ions and groups, ie. political operation, to legitimate tough yet cooperative smog, reduction measures.” Another example is the proposed restructuring of the US Bureau of Reclamation ‘hich new technical changes in water policy presuppose.” To sum up, crisis forcibly causes capital and state to exercise more control or production conditions (as well as over production and circulation of capital it into being new forms of Hlexible planning and planned flexibility, wl between a more flexible aig oe sel, Crnicbrng hich increases tenciogs lism and a more planned captalsm—moreso thn in he tinal Marxist account of the restructuring of production and cielation bectan othe ee ofthe state bureaucracy in the provision af production conditions Crs foc nd state confront their own basic contradictions which re subsequent di cal and ideological spheres (ice removed fom divest production and, esi is introduced more soil frm of production conditions dened both £4 the dominance of potical bipartisanship in relton to urban makes capital laced to the poli tion) where there serially and socially development, educational and other forms of provision of production conditions which exemplify new and significant forms of class compromise. However itis clear that technology and power embody one another atthe level of conditions as well as production itself hence they ‘new forms of puliical cooperation hold out only tenuous promises of socialism. Again, noth can be sid a prior’ about “socialist imminence” excepting at a high level of abstraction, The hey point is that capitalism tends to self-destruct ar subvert itself when it switches to more sexe) forms of the provision of production conditions via politics and ideology. The premise of this argument (like the argument of the present interpretation of traditional Marxism) is that any given set of production condition technologies, wurk relations, etc. is consistent with more than lone set of social relations of reproduction of these conditions and that any given set of these social relations is consistent with more than one set of production condition technologies, work relations ete. The “fi” between social relations and forces of reproduction of production condi tions is thus assumed to be quite louse ad Mlexible, In the crisis (in which the future is unknow. able), there isa kind of two-sided struggle to fit new production conditions defined as forces into ‘new production conditions defined as relations, and vice versa, into more socal forms without, however, any “natural” tendency for capitalism to transform itself into socialism. Urban and regional planning mechanisms, for example, may or may not be a step twward socialism, They are certainly a step toward more social forms of the provision of production conditions hence ‘making socialism at least more imaginable. On the other side, regional transportation networks and health-care services and bioregional water distribution (tor example) may or may not be a Step towards socialism. They are certainly a step toward more social forms of the provision of production conditions. {mn the modern world, thelist of new social and political forms of reproduction of production conditions is endless. It seems highly significant, and also theoretically understated within ‘Marxism, that the world crisis today appears to result in more, and require many additional, social forms not only of productive forces and relations but also production conditions, although the institutional and ideological aspects of these forms are confusing and often contra. distory, and although these forms should swt be regarded as iereversible (eg. tepsvatialion, deregulation, etc). Yet itis conceivable that we are engaging in a long process in which there ‘occurs different yet parallel paths to socialism, hence that Marx was not so much wrong as he was half-right, 1 may be that the traditional process of “socialist construction’ is giving way to 8 new process of “socialist reconstruction,” or the reconstruction of the relationship between exial form” ise that fe socal form Marxist evi ticular tim: {including ronmental barrier" 10 crisis and mentand ¢ Goneret For examp! demands profits int gruent wit cally regu One seen designe: rain on se time help 1 vara Vast sums ever, which the same w is displace This kine ee restructur capital as other cris they articu depend on solidarity anning over isis brings ses tensions nthe tradi ne key role sakes capital ‘othe polit where there and socially, educational tions which technology hence that vin, nothing won. The key ‘mare social mise of this is that any 1 more than set of these tion condi 's unknow= s forces into ns without, Urban and alism. They networks ray not bea vrovision of production | ated within additional, conditions, fen contr which there wrong as he ing way 0 vip between ‘CAPITALISM, NATURE, SOCIALISM. 449 ‘human beings and production conditions including the social environment. Is at least plausi- Je that in the “first world” socialist reconstruction will be seen as, frst, desirable, and second, necessarys in the “second world!” as equally desirable and necessary; and in the “third world” as, first, necessary, and second, desirable. It is more plausible that atmospheric warming, acid rain, the pollution of the seas will niske highly social form of reconstruction of material and social lifeabsolutely indispensable. ‘To elaborate somewhat, we know that the labor movement “pushed” capitalism into more social forms of productive forces and relations, eg. collective bargaining, Perhaps we can sur ‘mise that feminism, environmental movements, ec. ae “pushing” capital and state into more social forms of the reproduction of production conditions. As labor exploitation (the basis of Marxist crisis theory, traditionally defined) engendered a labor movement which during par- ticular times and places turned itself into a “social batriee” to capital, nature exploitation (including exploitation of human biology) engenders an environmental move ronmentalism, public health movement, accupational health and safety movements, women’s movement organized around the polities of the bod, et.) which may also constitute a “social barrier’ to capital. Ina country such as Nicaragua, the combination of economic and ecological

    You might also like