[xmca] Polanyi's "Magic of Marxism"

[Huw Lloyd <huw.softdesigns@gmail.com>]

I'm revisiting a section of Polyani's "Personal Knowledge", p227, subtitled
the "The Magic of Marxism", in which he describes the contradictory Marxist
fervour for anti-idealism and the shielding of this fervour as a 'science'.
I have noted references to Polyani in archived posts and wondered what
others thought about this.

I was thinking about this in relation to Luria's "Cognitive Development" and
Ratner's preface to "Macro Cultural Psychology", in which the scientific
recognition of the social formation of mind might (would?) then lead to
extensive social changes, such as the unveiling of 'education as content'
rather than environment.

Here are a few ruminative questions:

+ Is it possible to have a long standing interest in something without
having a fervour for it?  Whitehead's 'Religion of science' comes to mind
(Science and the Modern World).

+ If valid, to what degree does this fervour pollute the science.  Is this
(simply?) a case of discriminating between authentic science and the
political wielding of 'science'?

+ Can we justify this fervour beyond a personal utopian belief, founded, for
instance, on a understanding of what is wrong currently?  Are there benefits
to such an outlook, such as the avoidance of dogma?

Huw
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