>>Evolution punctuated by revolution is another way of saying quantitative change turns into qualitative change.
Socially, the ebb and flow of reform is evolutionary. It is change without changing the mode of production out of capitalism. Socialist revolution is a leap in which the mode of production changes.<< Comment I would disagree with this as well as the description of what constitutes a qualitative change as well as the concept of the leap or rather the dialectic of the leap. The leap or a leap really means in my opinion the dialectic of the leap. Further, the social revolution is the result of qualitative changes in the economic structure in society and the dialectic of the leap means the process of transition from one qualitative state of society to another. The leap is the transition or rather understood as transition. I don't recall Lenin stating that the Russian October Socialist Revolution constituted a leap or change in the mode of production - however one defines it. In my estimate the qualitative change in the material power of production is already under way. That is, society is already leaping but is held back by the relations of the superstructure. We are leaping from industrial society and political revolution destroys the fetters on the productive forces that allows the quantitative expansion of a new qualitative definition (all ready underway, hence leap as transition) in the material power of production. My question is how does heating water to a boiling point change the quality of water rather than its form? I agree that the form of a thing can change in front of its constituent parts. What quality of H2O has changed? Just asking. A leap or the dialectic of the leap is not to be understood as jumping rope or an after thought or the result of a qualitative change. The process of emergence of the new qualitative definition is itself the leap. A qualitative change expressing antagonism is a somewhat different process than that of a non antagonistic transition from one qualitative state to another. The former expresses a polarization where the two previous aspect of a unity begin to emerge in external collision and one aspect is annihilated as the basis for the emergence of a new unity. The opinions above are mine and I am not speaking for any one else. Waistline _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
