QotD: "This, in a nutshell, is the precise formulation of the New Parasitism, which his followers and allies are now trying to impose by force on Western civilisation. Marx sought to appeal to the proletariat by proclaiming 'Who does not toil shall not eat.' Marcuse seeks to appeal to the Lumpenproletariat, to the bums, to those who eat without toiling."

"Without any knowledge of or concern for its sources, basis or validity, many people have accepted [Herbert] Marcuse's notion of guaranteeing everyone's 'basic needs.' This notion is shared today by most 'liberals' and by many 'conservatives.' It motivates the proposals for a guaranteed annual income and for a 'negative income tax.'  

  "What is Marcuse's ethical justification of that notion? It is expressed completely in one terse statement in [his book] 'One Dimensional Man': 'The only needs that have an unqualified claim for satisfaction are the vital ones -- nourishment, clothing, lodging at the attainable level of culture.'    "This, in a nutshell and in Marcuse's own words, is the precise formulation of the New Parasitism. This is the base of his political philosophy , which his followers and allies are now trying to impose by force on Western civilisation. [Marx sought to appeal to the proletariat by proclaiming 'Who does not toil shall not eat.' Marcuse seeks to appeal to the Lumpenproletariat, (whom Marx despised) to the bums, to those who eat without toiling.] 

    "Notice first that Marcuse says that man's vital needs have an unqualified claim to satisfaction. This means that there is some corresponding obligation on someone to satisfy them and that there can be no questioning or limitation of either the claim or the obligation. To whom could such a bill be presented? Obviously not to nature, because Marcuse acknowledges that nature does not automatically satisfy man's needs. The answer therefore is: to 'society.' But society consists only of individuals. And what Marcuse does not acknowledge is the fact that there are two kinds of individuals: those who are able and willing to provide for their own vital needs, and those who are not. Obviously the first kind is not going to present any 'unqualified claims' to 'society.' It is only the second kind who will -- and to say that they will present them to 'society' means only that they will present them to the first kind of individuals. 

    "Marcuse's principle means that those who are able and willing to provide for their own vital needs are morally obligated to provide for those who are not." 

        ~ philosopher George Walsh, from his 1970 article 'Herbert Marcuse, Philosopher of the New Left'

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