My responses to my worker self management class. hopefully i can get an awesome responses to my internal contradictions between socialism and individuality.
I read the article by Lebowitz and I am having a hard time grasping worker self management as applied generally, rather than to the specific enterprises we have looked at. I liked the quote from the bolivarian constitution that ¨developing the creative potential of every human being and the full excercise of his or her personality in a democratic society¨ . My question is - what happens when there is a conflict between ones own creative interests and that of society. Or between the desires of the workers and the needs of society. For example, a hospital exists to care for the sick. But there are many sick people, and not enough qualified doctors and nurses, nor funds to pay the staff. Society requires that the staff work longer hours, for less pay, but this is at the expense of the time the nurse wishes to spend with her family, or other needs of the worker. Who´s needs are more important. In the model community, maybe they wouldn´t clash?
the article seems to also suggest that people work for the benefit and for the needs of the community. I see this as partly true, but that this is somewhat ignoring the creative potential, which may be serving only our own needs, rather than someone elses. goals and ambitions in general are self interested, and no one can realize them for us. For me, it seems that the worker cooperatives are the structures that allow people to become individuals, rather than existing only for the benefit for the community. Maybe i am not understanding the article correctly, but it seems to contradict the final point of the bolivarian constitution if everything we did was to benefit someone else. And that working in a cooperative is in a way self interested because we want our community to benefit, we want our families to benefit, we want to work with dignity, and most importantly this type of community enables us to realize our creative potential. Because this situation is a means to an end. But if there is conflict between the needs of society and our creative potential, and the needs of society take precendence, what then is the purpose of it?
As you can see, i am trying to reconcile my individualistic upbringing with what i see as a fantastic model for working with dignity. Sorry for the long rant.
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I've never read the Bolivian Constitution, but I strongly disagree with its "final point ... [that] everything we [do is] to benefit someone else." I don't believe there has been or ever could be a individual act of altruism. I believe everything individuals do is egoistic; that every action one takes is aimed at one's own interest--not least the need to act to not feel guilty. Even something that could be viewed completely unselfinterested, like helping an old man back to his feet after his walker slips out from under him, for instance, is an act motivated by the positive feelings one will get by helping the old man and/or by the prediction one has that if one does not act kindly in such an instance guilt will result.
For me, the jury is still out on whether our instincts are intrinsically altruistic or learned. Like leaping in front of a car to save an old lady. But I do think that some parts of life simply cannot be altruistic. Like our dreams and creative potentional. (although the article was by a socialist (leboitz, he had quoted the bolivarian constitution - which i haven't read either). So i think that humans should be more egoistic than they are, which makes everyone a better human being. and socialism can be a part of this. such as having decent pay for work then allows you to pursue your intellectual pursuits, and live out your dreams. This is where i see socialism, egoism, freedom, ayn rand.. merging. depraved conditions are not ideal for the ego. fighting for humanity is fighting for ourselves. because we value ourselves. this is why the fight is worth fighting for.
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