Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

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M A S M I D which prides itself on its democratic insti- tutions. From the ethical point of view alone this is injustice and iniquity. Those ore the results of freedom of enterprise. Clearly then if democracy is government by the people, the means of production upon which the people subsist should he controlled by the people. There is no just- ification for their control by individuals for their personal aggrandisement. The state ' . duty now becomes clearly defined. It must unconditionally take over all industry and must devise a method for its operation for the common welfare. It must assume ab- solute control over agricultural production with total collectivization as the ultimate goal. These, very briefly stated, are the basic economic steps dictated by the modern industrial era. No attempt is made to con- ceal their revolutionary character, but at the some time it cannot be denied that they are both necessary and imperative. The results of the execution of such a plan would be far reaching in the extreme. Maximum employment plus maximum pro- duction would be maintained. The pre- datory price-economy would no longer exist, and in place of production for profit, production for use would be substituted. Under scarcity economy, the exigencies of the profit motive are the parents of such phenomena as willfully curtailed produc- tion, dumping, crop burning, price fixing and unemployment. Under collective ownership all of these evils would be eliminated. It would be in the interest of society to pro- duce as much as is possible since the more that is produced the greater will be the individual ' s share of the wealth of that society. It has been conservatively esti- mated that under conditions of maximum production and equable distribution this country is at present capable of providing a comfortable, if not yet luxurious, standard of living for all of its inhabitants. The effects of such an economic program on the educational system would be tre- mendous. Without dwelling too long on the matter, it is commonplace knowledge that, despite our vast educational facilities, our educational system has been faulty and often downright disgraceful. From the point of view of subject matter the curri- culum has for the most port been biased and reactionary. Truths are being sup- pressed because they might comment un- favorably on the status quo. Learning has often been imprisoned in the straitjacket of convention and conformity. Scholarship has, like everything else, been put on a mercenary basis. The teacher who might have something really valuable to com- municate is often held back for fear of con- sequences. Academic freedom has become almost a total myth, and the stereotyped, unimaginative method of teaching has de- stroyed the senses of eagerness, wonder, adventure and romanticism which were once concomitants of the learning process. In a society aligned with the principles of progress there can be no suppression and no restriction in the field of education. It is in the interest of that society to pay- heedful attention to all fresh and progressive ideas since these may v ell contribute to the advancement of its well-being and hap- piness. The scientific spirit of research will be an iaevitable by-product. The enthu- siasm and zest for scholarship and investi- gation will spur the student, now fully aware that the products of his endeavors cannot fail of recognition and that the good de- rived from them will be enjoyed by all of society. The effects of the collectivized society upon education become even more strik- ing when the phrase equality of oppor- tunity is subjected to analysis, Under the present scheme of things there is no equal- ity of opportunity. The fate of the over- whelming majority of individuals born into

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M A S M i D The wealth of society in the present stage of economic development is the prod- uct of social labor. No longer ore the necessaries of life and its luxuries created by him who enjoys them alone. Even un- der the present economic organization, it would be utterly impossible to go on living if social cooperation were to be eliminated. Contrary to the contention of Thomas Hobbes, society has become a natural, organic, interdependent body. It is no more than logical, therefore, that any ele- ments of schism, conflict, and division in that society should run counter to its spirit and be destructive of its nature. Those elements are atavistic remnants from a dead era, an era which was characterized by individual- ism and in which it was still possible to survive under individualistic patterns of action. It was then that such terms as rugged individualism ' and freedom of enterprise had some meaning. Oppor- tunities for self-advancement and economic success based on initiative still abounded. The avenues of endeavor were still open to the resourceful and capitalist democracy was still democracy. All of this is no longer true. Internal industrial development has just about reached its zenith in most industrialized countries. The exploitation of natural re- sources has proceeded to the point of near exhaustion. And all of this has been ac- companied by ruthless, cut-throat compe- tition and the subsequent birth of gigantic monopolies. Competition amongst these huge monopolies has led in normal times to the constant lowering of the standard of living as a result of cuts in industrial wages. These cuts arose from the ne- cessity of augmenting capitalist profit at the expense of economies elsewhere. Such a situation when prolonged leads and has led to two results. The first is the curtail- ment of the home market for manufactured goods. This in turn is the result of the inability of the large laboring masses to purchase these goods in the large quan- tities produced with their constantly more limited means. The second is the vast one sided accumulation oi capital in the hands of the capitalist class. This capital cannot be invested profitably at home, the market already limited as it is. The combined factors of the curtailment of the home market plus the necessity for the investment of surplus capital have been the primary causes of imperialism — the act of capital investment abroad. One of the most important functions of capitalist gov- ernment has become the acquisition of co- lonial bases for the industrial activity of a very small percentage of its citizenry. Thus has competition become keen among industrialized nations for securing unde- veloped territory. This has led to bitter economic nationalism in the form of trade barriers and political discrimination, and finally to war — war engaged in by a ma- jority on both sides with common social and economic interests for the sake of a minority on both sides with clashing in- terests. On the other hand of the scales the aggravation of the living conditions of the masses of the people has continued apace. All over the world they have been ruth- lessly exploited and condemned to ever increasing suffering. One hears proud talk of the American standard of living and one is constrained to an ironic smile. It is unnecessary to repeat the fact that one-third of our nation is ill fed, ill housed and ill clothed. Forty million disinherited children in a land capable of providing for all in comfort. Most of them wallow in condi- tions of undernourishment, ignorance, filth and disease. Seventy-five thousand persons out of one hundred thirty million are in effective control of America ' s industrial tools. Seventy-five thousand in control of the des- tiny of one hundred thirty million in a land

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M A S M I D the present society is immediately sealed. The sphere for individual choice or ad- vancement, as we have had occasion to mention earlier, has dwindled to insignifi- cance. In the business world, of course, it is already impossible to rise to the top. Contrary to the romantic notions of Henry Wallace, the Horatio Alger epoch is dead in our present society. The industrial worker is usually doomed to his occupation and can hardly entertain any illusions as to the possibilities for his advancement. Even the professi onal field is rapidly closing to the more educated and intellectual. As reac- tionary an organization as the American Medical Association speaks volumes for itself. In addition the almost prohibitive expenses involved in professional educa- tion have discouraged a good many tal- ented young men and women from even attempting to enter the professional ranks. And, on the other hand, it is common knowledge that a goodly proportion of the membership in the various professions is currently suffering want and is often eco- nomically as poorly situated as are many unskilled industrial laborers. Finally, the existence of all phases of economic activity on a pecuniary basis has caused a good many incompetent, unqualified, and dis- honest individuals to be attracted to the professions. These people constitute a definite menace to the well-being of society. Plato has defined social justice as the performance by the individuals constituting society of those tasks for which they are best fit. This definition still stands as a model of social vision. Under capitalism, the definition of Plato is impossible of real- ization. In a collective society it carmct fail of realization since the very structure of that society dictates that it assign its mem- bers to those tasks which they are best capable of carrying out. To that end all education, technical as well as professional, would be put on an absolutely free and equal basis. The individual would be com- pletely at liberty to pursue those sludie3 v hich are best calculated to exploit his potential usefulness and productivity for society. Equality of opportunity will hove attained its maximum meaning and will have contributed to the spiritual as well as the material edification of man. This is democracy at its best. This, in fact, is the only real democracy. Opponents of collectivization have often advanced the argument that it is destruc- tive of spiritual values, that material con- siderations overshadow everything else. This is a colossal falsehood. As a matter of fact one of the primary arguments in favor of a collectivized society is that it alone is conducive to the highest develop- ' ment of the spiritual potential. Immanuel Kant has said that in order to fully actualize his moral nature, his so-called categorical imperative, man must be free. There is more truth in this than meets the eye. For it is not enough to be theoretically free; one must be free actually if he is to give ex- pression to his moral and ethical nature. Such freedom is not possible under a so- ciety in which the few rule the destiny of the many; in which the degrees of depend- ence and independence vary with the indi- vidual. A man is truly free only when he feels that he is on a par with his neighbor. The psychological sense of belonging can- not be overemphasized as to its bolstering effect on human beings. It lends man on unlimited sense of freedom, a strong instinct of confidence, and a sincere feeling of fra- ternity. All of this leads to spiritual, moral and ethical elevation such as is impossible of attainment in an individualistic society. For all these many years, religion has been belying its mission by betting on the wrong horse. It has failed to realize where its true interests lie. It has been guilty of prostituting its services towards the end of helping to perpetuate flagrant Fifteen