“Undoubtedly,” it will be said, “religious, moral, philosophical, and juridical ideas have been modified in the course of historical development. But religion, morality, philosophy, political science, and law, constantly survived this change.”And when put into practice, Communism shows just how disastrous to humanity it really is. 100 million lives and counting; that sure is a lot of bloodguilt.
“There are, besides, eternal truths, such as Freedom, Justice, etc., that are common to all states of society. But Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis; it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience.”
What does this accusation reduce itself to? The history of all past society has consisted in the development of class antagonisms, antagonisms that assumed different forms at different epochs.
But whatever form they may have taken, one fact is common to all past ages, viz., the exploitation of one part of society by the other. No wonder, then, that the social consciousness of past ages, despite all the multiplicity and variety it displays, moves within certain common forms, or general ideas, which cannot completely vanish except with the total disappearance of class antagonisms.
The Communist revolution is the most radical rupture with traditional property relations; no wonder that its development involved the most radical rupture with traditional ideas.
But let us have done with the bourgeois objections to Communism. …
According to Pearl S. Buck in her Book ‘China As I See It’ there were drastic changes from the successful Empire, independent, and courteous China during 1295: Yuan Dynasty, when Marco Polo wrote his book about his travels, and still civilized and accepting of Christianity in the Ming Dynasty 3000 years later.... to the China of her book edition published in 1970....with no doubt serious erosion to the China we see today due to influence of Communism.
Pearl S Buck claimed a positive view of the Chinese people, and their ability to regain their footing, maybe too much faith in their ability to return to that original independent quality because she grew up there with the people, although born in W Va.
She made a statement in her forward that ‘Even old tigers like Mao Tse Tung and Chiang Kai-Shek cannot live forever.” I think more wishful thinking than prophecy.
I think the last 50 years have shown in China the descent, that could be a picture of America down the road. Empires that fall or collapse not only through economies and greed, but through loss of it’s family foundation, education, and values make the latter harder to repair or restore.
In saying all of the above, it supports the statement you posted, and gives me concern for our own future.