Today I read or rather thought through the last chapter of the book “The Death Drive in History” by Igor Shafarevich. The book is really a treasure chest and deals with the history of socialism in all its manifestations, from Egypt, antiquity, the Middle Ages, South America, the ancient Orient to modern times, especially Buddhism and Taoism are taken into account with the goal of “Nirvana”, Schopenhauer, influenced by Buddhism, Marx, Engels, Freud, Sartre, Heidegger, Marcuse and many others. Above all, it also deals with the profound experience of Russia, “which we have barely begun to understand”, writes Shafarevich. So much profound encyclopedic knowledge!
“If one understands socialism as one of the manifestations of the human striving for self-destruction (death instinct), its hostility towards individuality and its efforts to destroy the forces that support and strengthen the human personality become understandable: Destruction of its spiritual structure, its culture, its religion, its mythology its individual property.”
The book ends with the hope expressed by Shaferevich that the “profound experience of Russia is sufficient to grasp the meaning of socialism. ”Or is humanity destined to live through it on an incomparably larger scale?” (Socialist World State)
In order to escape bondage, “to save the image and likeness of God, human individuality”, he calls upon free will.
But where there should be a way, there must first be a will.
