Opinion - Letters to the Editor

POSTED: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009

Defends ideas of Marx, and socialism

There is a misconception that somehow the ideas of Karl Marx have failed in the world or brought misfortune to those who practice them. Anybody who has actually read Karl Marx knows his undeniable reputation as a top thinker in fields as diverse as metaphysics, aesthetics, economics and mathematics. Those who are unfamiliar with his philosophy unfairly blame things, such as the creation of the Berlin wall, on Marxism.

I believe that in reality, capitalism is more to blame for our social ills: war, environmental catastrophe, poverty and cultural destruction. The billion people starving in the world sure don't blame Karl Marx for their predicament. More likely they blame the rich Americans who, instead of living by the Christian values of helping one's neighbors, instead drop bombs, point guns, sell fast-food and build fences.

Socialism is a philosophy of compassion. Compassion, when properly practiced, never fails.

Evan Knappenberger

Bellingham