I think you’re getting at the concept of communism as a movement vs. communism as a mode of production. As a communist, I am committed to bringing about communism the mode of production, so in a way this process itself is “communism” from a certain view. However, this becomes very confusing for those not familiar, and so I try to keep things compartmentalized when discussing with those not as informed.
Socialism is chiefly a mode of production best seen as a transition between capitalism and communism. It’s the process of building the communist society where money, class, and the state have been abolished, where private property is no longer a thing. Drawing a distinction between the process of building something, and the object being built, is important. It’s the difference between the movement and the goal.
Yes but I think points of emphasis matter. Socialism may exist in some formal ways and some informal ways, but assuming it does, for example I know that you consider China to be at least partially/mostly socialist, the task is not for a socialist nation to become a communist nation, but for a socialist nation to become a socialist international, topple imperial international capitalist totality, and continually develop mass proletarian international productive forces, etc.,
So yes it is important to delineate “communist society” vs communist movement, in that the communist/proletarian movement actually exists, as it is the embodiment of the revolutionary potential of the working class; where “communist society” does not exist, and will not exist for a very long time.
So why define communism as something that it is not? Like its fine to imagine a better world, but it isn’t practical and it isn’t part of communism as it is inherently prefigurative. Communists concern ourseves with what exists, and what will exist (I’m not a huge fan of predictive Marxism, but knowing where we are headed is necessary for a successful political project) not what should exist.
I think you’re getting at the concept of communism as a movement vs. communism as a mode of production. As a communist, I am committed to bringing about communism the mode of production, so in a way this process itself is “communism” from a certain view. However, this becomes very confusing for those not familiar, and so I try to keep things compartmentalized when discussing with those not as informed.
Socialism is chiefly a mode of production best seen as a transition between capitalism and communism. It’s the process of building the communist society where money, class, and the state have been abolished, where private property is no longer a thing. Drawing a distinction between the process of building something, and the object being built, is important. It’s the difference between the movement and the goal.
Yes but I think points of emphasis matter. Socialism may exist in some formal ways and some informal ways, but assuming it does, for example I know that you consider China to be at least partially/mostly socialist, the task is not for a socialist nation to become a communist nation, but for a socialist nation to become a socialist international, topple imperial international capitalist totality, and continually develop mass proletarian international productive forces, etc.,
So yes it is important to delineate “communist society” vs communist movement, in that the communist/proletarian movement actually exists, as it is the embodiment of the revolutionary potential of the working class; where “communist society” does not exist, and will not exist for a very long time.
So why define communism as something that it is not? Like its fine to imagine a better world, but it isn’t practical and it isn’t part of communism as it is inherently prefigurative. Communists concern ourseves with what exists, and what will exist (I’m not a huge fan of predictive Marxism, but knowing where we are headed is necessary for a successful political project) not what should exist.