Fully Automated Luxury Communism

Submitted by potrokin on July 21, 2017

What are Libcommers' views on this?

adri

7 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by adri on July 21, 2017

Isn't that something coined by Novara, or at least popularized, highlighting how modern (and archaic as well, because anarchists and Marxists have touched on this for at least a hundred years now, just read Kropotkin) technology could produce an abundance and liberate people as opposed to enslaving and displacing them? I like the idea of combining positive words like "fully automated" and "luxury" with "communism" which has a bad reputation to the ill-informed and to those who equate it immediately with totalitarianism and state capitalism, perhaps the reasoning behind the phrase. But I agree with most of the criticisms in the blog post above, unlimited luxury being impossible for some goods, and so on; it's not enough envisioning something like fully automated luxury communism without a means of getting there or without people who desire it. I mean zeitgeisters draw on the same technological advances to argue we can do better, but they have a contempt for politics and for things such as class analysis (and their whole "movement" is riddled with conspiracy theorists), believing themselves to be above all of that.

potrokin

7 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by potrokin on July 22, 2017

I believe a group called Plan C are something to do with the concept aswell. I don't know who they are but apparently they saw the slogan: Luxury For All at a protest, which is apparently what started this idea but ofcourse I think I'm right in saying that in The Conquest of Bread, Kropotkin explores how communism doesn't mean the end of luxury and the slogan probably originates from him I'm guessing, but I could be wrong- it's been some time since I read that book.

potrokin

7 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by potrokin on July 22, 2017

Yes,infact I have my copy of The Conquest of Bread here and there is a whole chapter titled: The Need For Luxury.

potrokin

7 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by potrokin on July 22, 2017

Here is a link to that chapter: http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/kropotkin/conquest/ch9.html

adri

7 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by adri on July 22, 2017

potrokin

I believe a group called Plan C are something to do with the concept aswell. I don't know who they are but apparently they saw the slogan: Luxury For All at a protest, which is apparently what started this idea but ofcourse I think I'm right in saying that in The Conquest of Bread, Kropotkin explores how communism doesn't mean the end of luxury and the slogan probably originates from him I'm guessing, but I could be wrong- it's been some time since I read that book.

I don't know if Novara have read Conquest of Bread, but that is among the socialists works I think which deals with the potential of technology to satisfy needs and tastes.

potrokin

7 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by potrokin on July 22, 2017

Theres also this chapter from Kropotkin on Agreeable Work: http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/kropotkin/conquest/ch10.html

Steven.

7 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on July 22, 2017

People have already mentioned Kropotkin. Emma Goldman also said "I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody's right to beautiful, radiant things."

So yes I'm all for it.

With Novara that was back in the good old days before they just became Labour Party cheerleaders