Loading...

Ask Prof Wolff: Top Down or Bottom Up - Proudhon vs. Marx

Direct Download

Patron of Economic Update asks: "The strategy of d@w regarding changing society is, as far as I understand, to build a movement bottom up from cooperatives to network of cooperatives. I live in France and there was an important person, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, who favored that approach. He was in strong opposition to Marx’s more aggressive approach and had some influence in the ideas of the participants in the adventure of the french commune. It would be interesting to know what your opinion/idea is regarding his philosophy. I mention this because a french left intellectual called Michel Onfray (he is quite popular) is for Proudhon’s bottom up approach and strongly against a centrist approach through the state (Melanchon and the rest of the so called left). Onfray mentioned the workers co-op LIP which seems to have been killed by both left and right. He says that the co-op approach of LIP is strongly in sync with Proudhon."

This is Professor Richard Wolff's video response.

Ask Prof Wolff is a Democracy At Work production. We are committed to providing these videos to you free of ads. Please consider supporting us on Patreon.com/economicupdate. Become a part of the growing Patreon community and gain access to exclusive patron-only content, along with the ability to ask Prof. Wolff questions like this one! Your support also helps keep this content free to the public. Spreading Prof. Wolff's message is more important than ever. Help us continue to make this possible.

Submit your own question to be considered for a video response by Prof. Wolff on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/economicupdate/community.


Follow us ONLINE:

Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/economicupdate

YouTube: 

Facebook:

Twitter:

Instagram:

DailyMotion: 

Shop our CO-OP made MERCH:  https://democracy-at-work-shop.myshopify.com/


Check out the NEW 2021 Hardcover Edition of “Understanding Marxism,” with a new, lengthy introduction by Richard Wolff! Visit: https://www.lulu.com/

“Marxism always was the critical shadow of capitalism. Their interactions changed them both. Now Marxism is once again stepping into the light as capitalism shakes from its own excesses and confronts decline.”

Check out all of d@w’s books: "The Sickness is the System," "Understanding Socialism," by Richard D. Wolff, and “Stuck Nation” by Bob Hennelly at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/democracyatwork


Showing 1 comment

  • Edward Dodson
    commented 2022-06-18 22:51:26 -0400
    What would help “democratize the state” is a commitment to the teaching of civics to our young people in our schools. Not one semester or even one year, but as an increasingly sophisticated part of the curriculum beginning, say, in grade seven.

Customized by

Longleaf Digital