This particular discussion has moved in a different direction from
investigating dialectics per se, and could be considered in part to be
about the labor theory of the origins of humanity. In a way, we having
been using the terms "production" and "labor" synonymously in our recent
dialogues. But the concept of labor - and how it is different from animal
activity - is in my opinion the key that unlocks the puzzle of how humanity
originated and what it means to be human.
I think Charles is entirely correct in going back to Marx, especially his
most advanced work, _Capital_, to look for a dialectical materialist
analysis of labor. I also basically agree with his insistence that it is
the *social* dimension of labor that differentiates what humans do from all
other species. However, since most animals are also "social," a deeper
inquiry is needed.
More very good discussion of these issues can be found in George Novack's
essay "The Labor Theory of the Origins of Humanity," contained in his
collection _Humanism and Socialism_ (1973). Novack is what I would call a
Marxist continuist, meaning, he consciously continues in the tradition of
Marx and Engels, and advocates a continuation of the fundamental concepts
of Marxist doctrine. He returns to this labor theory theme many times in
his writings, such as in his "Long View of History" contained in his
collection _Understanding History_ (1972). Another Marxist continuist
relevant to this issue of the origins of humanity is Evelyn Reed, who wrote
numerous essays and books on Marxist anthropology in the '50's, '60's and
'70's that also relied heavily on Marx and Engels. Her collection _Sexism
and Science_ (1978) includes several of these essays. She also wrote a
good introduction to _The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the
State_ by Engels in a 1972 Pathfinder Press edition. This edition also
contains the Engels essay "The Part Played By Labor in the Transition from
Ape to Human," written in 1876 but not published until 1896, a year after
his death. All of these books are in print and available from Pathfinder
Press. BTW, for those unfamiliar with these writers, both were leaders of
the US Socialist Workers Party and were longtime partners until Reed's
death in 1979.
I encourage Charles to incorporate these writings in his studies about the
origins of humanity.
- Steve
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