[P2P-F] Fwd: [NetworkedLabour] 'Post-capitalism', according to Alexander Bogdanov

[Michel Bauwens]

https://www.marxists.org/archive/bogdanov/1919/socialism.htm

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Orsan <orsan1234 at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Nov 13, 2015 at 12:42 AM
Subject: [NetworkedLabour] 'Post-capitalism', according to Alexander
Bogdanov
To: networkedlabour at lists.contrast.org


*Socially Organised Society: Socialist Society *

Alexander Bogdanov 1919
------------------------------

Source: Chapter X of *A Short Course of Economic Science*, 10th edition,
1919. English translation J. Fineberg, 1923;
Transcribed: by Adam Buick.
------------------------------

The epoch of capitalism has not yet been completed, but the instability of
its relations has become quite obvious. The fundamental contradictions of
this system which are deeply undermining it, and the forces of development
which are creating the basis of a new system, have also become quite clear.
The main features of the *direction *in which social forces are moving have
been marked out. It is, therefore, possible to draw conclusions as to what
form the new system will take and in what way it will differ from the
present system.

It may seem that science has no right to speak of what has not yet arrived
and of what experience has not provided us with any exact example. But that
is erroneous. Science exists precisely for the purpose of *foretelling *things.
Of what has not yet been experienced it cannot, of course, make an exact
forecast, but if we know generally what *exists *and in *what direction it
is changing *then science *must *draw the conclusions as to what it will
change into. Science must draw these conclusions in order that men may
adapt their actions to circumstances, so that instead of wasting their
efforts by working against the future and retarding the development of new
forms, they may consciously work to hasten and assist such development.

The conclusions of social science with regard to future society cannot be
exact because the great complexity of social phenomena does not permit, in
our times, of their being completely observed in all details, but only in
their main features, and for that reason the picture of the new system also
can only be drawn in its main outlines; but these are the *most important
considerations *for the people of the present day.

The history of the ancient world shows that human society may sometimes
regress, decline, and even decay; the history of primitive man and also
that of several isolated Eastern societies shows the possibility of a long
period of stagnation. For this reason, from a strictly scientific point of
view, the transition to new forms must be accepted conditionally. New and
higher forms will appear only in the event of a *society progressing
further in its development *as it has progressed up till now. There must be
sufficient cause, however, for regression or stagnation, and these cannot
be indicated in the life of modern society. With the mass of contradictions
inherent in it, and the impetuous process of life which they create, there
cannot be stagnation. These inherent contradictions could cause
retrogression only in the event of the absence of sufficient forms and
elements of development. But such elements exist, and these very
contradictions develop and multiply them. The productive power of man is
increasing and even such a social catastrophe as a world war only
temporarily weakens it. Furthermore an enormous class in society growing
and organising is striving to bring about these new forms. For this reason
there are no serious grounds for expecting a movement backwards. There are
immeasurably more grounds for believing that society will continue along
its path and create a new system which will destroy and abolish the
contradictions of capitalism.
1. Relation of Society to Nature

The development of machine technique in the period of capitalism acquired
such a character of consecutiveness and activity that it is quite possible
to determine its tendencies and consequently the further result of its
development.

With regard to the first part of the machine – the source of motive power –
we have already indicated the tendency, viz., the transition from steam to
electricity, the most flexible, the most plastic, of all the powers of
nature. It can easily be produced from all the others and be converted into
all the others; it can be divided into exact parts and transmitted across
enormous distances. The inevitable exhaustion of the main sources of steam
power, coal and oil, leads to the necessity for the transition to
electricity, and this will create the possibility of making use of all
waterfalls, all flowing water (even the tides of the oceans ), and the
intermittent energy of the wind which can be collected with the aid of
accumulators, & c. A new and immeasurably rich source of electrical energy,
infinitely superior to all other sources of .electrical energy, has also
been indicated, viz., atomic energy, which is contained in all matter. Its
existence has been scientifically proved, and its use even begun, although
in a very small scale where it automatically releases itself *(e.g. *radium
and other similar disintegrating elements). Methods for systematically
releasing this energy have not yet been discovered; the new higher
scientific technique will probably discover these methods and united
humanity possess inexhaustible stocks of elemental power .

With regard to the transmitting mechanism we also observe a tendency
towards the *automatic type *of machine. Following this we observe an even
higher type – not only an automatically acting, but an *automatically
regulating *machine. Its beginnings lie on the one hand in the increasing
application of mechanical regulators to present-day machines, and on the
other in the few mechanisms of this type already created by military
technique *(e.g., *self-propelling submarines and air torpedoes). Under
capitalism these will hardly find application for peaceful production: they
are disadvantageous from the point of view of profits as they are very
complicated and unavoidably dear; the amount of labour which they save in
comparison with machines of the former type is not great, because automatic
machinery also dispenses with a considerable amount of human labour.
Furthermore the workers required to work them must possess the highest
intelligence; hence their pay also would have to be high, and their
resistance to capital would be considerably greater. In war there is no
question of profits, and for that reason these obstacles to their
application do not arise. Under socialism the question of profits will
disappear in production also; first consideration will be given to the
technical advantages of self-regulating mechanism – which will render
possible the achievement of a rapidity and exactness of work incomparably
greater than that achieved by human organs, which work more slowly and with
less precision, and moreover are subject to fatigue and error.

Furthermore, the number of machines, and the sum total of mechanical
energy, will increase to such a colossal degree that the physical energy of
men will become infinitesimally small in comparison. The powers of nature
will carry out the executive work of man – they will be his obedient dumb
slaves, whose strength will increase to infinity.

The technique of communication between men is of special significance. The
rapid progress in this connection observed at the end of the capitalist
epoch has been obviously directed to the abolition of all obstacles which
nature and space place in the way of the organisation and compactness of
humanity. The perfection of wireless telegraphy and telephony will create
the possibility for people to communicate with each other under any
condition, over any distance, and across all natural barriers. The increase
in the speed of all forms of transportation brings men and the products of
their labour more closely together than was ever dreamed of in the past
century. And the creation of dirigible aircraft will make human
communication completely independent of geographical conditions – the
structure and configuration of the earth’s surface.


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