Interneted - A Marxist Look into the Future with Computers
Publisher: Chip Publishing
Published: January 15, 1996
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 80
ISBN-13: 9781900614009
Description: INTRODUCTION

The revolutionary as well as the reactionary effects of computers have been much talked and written about. So far, this work has been done by the bourgeois intellectuals. However hard they try, they can not imagine a world without the bourgeoisie. They can not imagine computers being used under any conditions except that of capitalist conditions. This, that is, their out and out bourgeois prejudice makes it impossible for them to comprehend the incompatibility of computers and the monopoly capitalism. They see the huge potentials created by the computers for the good of humanity and to the detriment of humanity. They come up with all sorts of scenarios. There they get stuck. Appeals to the capitalists are two to a penny. 
That will not do.
This book shows that computers are leading to what is called “fully automated production” and would lead to this, in a very short period of time, if we were to produce goods to satisfy the constantly rising material and cultural needs of the people. This tendency of computers is incompatible with monopoly capitalism for the resultant would be a society of abundance achieved through the slavery of machines.
This book shows that capitalists know, and known for many years, what can be achieved using the computers. They can not have “fully automated production”. It means the end for them. So, they use it as little as possible to maximise profits and in the process they create misery and destruction. 
The appeals to the capitalists will not do. 
One must appeal to those who have nothing to loose from having abundance; to those who have nothing to loose from “fully automated production”, from the slavery of machines; to those who have nothing to loose from putting an end to the slavery of men to men; to those who have nothing to loose from putting an end to misery and destruction.
One must appeal to the workers.
Unite, organise yourselves, achieve political power and thus bring about what this book proves can be and must be brought about. There is no other way forward. Everything else leads back. Back to barbarism with computers at the service of the barbarians.
Notes: “Not only do they make the time for all to study available by automation of national-international production-distribution process, but they also provide the means for education. All can have a British Library and the best minds in different fields as lecturers through ‘the information super-highways’. All can communicate with one another to exchange information and co-operate to solve scientific-technical problems, as well as control the production and consumption of each and everything. Thus, the speed of development of scientific-technical knowledge reaches the “speed of light”. Thus, the cultural development of each individual is assured and time for sportive activity to develop man in physically perfect form and time for social activity to develop man in spiritually perfect form and the means for these are made available. 

This is a new form of society based on the slavery of machines to men made possible by the computers. This is a new form of society based on communication of all with all made possible by the computers. This is a society where the wealth can be produced in abundance. This is a new form of society based on the co-operation of all. It is impossible without this co-operation. Division of society into classes comes to an end.

Call it what you will, but it is called a communist society, a society of co-operating individuals.
Table of contents: class: section