It’s common here to criticize Great Man Theory, in that it’s not just one person that caused changes, it’s many. However, where I’m lost is where they further imply that things happening have absolutely nothing to do with individual choice, and material conditions are the only thing that matters. This really just sounds like predestination with extra steps, as in, your material conditions will choose whatever actions you take, which completely loses me.
The logical conclusion to this mindset is that organization and trying to do political action is pointless, after all, material conditions will either make it happen or not make it happen, which I don’t think anyone is trying to say.
“Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they choose” Often the first part of that sentence is ignored.
All major theorists and revolutionaries have repeatedly condemned economic determinism as non-marxist and non dialectical, because it is. The base determines the superstructure, the superstructure then acts upon the base, changing it.
I believe in Great woman theory :hillgasm:
material conditions do provide a possibility space that is dynamic, so as elements of material conditions change, so does the possibility space
the other aspect of hierarchical structures is that individuals within that structure have different scopes of possibility space that they can access
solidarity is all about forming unities of lower-positioned individuals that can collectively expand their collective possibility spaces beyond that of their individual ability
this is what class war is all about, classes of folks (defined by relations to MoP or hierarchy position) are able to have material effects on material conditions, and in turn the possibility spaces that are manifested from them
Some people make bigger decisions than others, but it is the sum of decisions that control history, not a handful of people making decisions everyone else reacts to.
