Scan barcode
krishnu's review against another edition
3.0
Dissatisfied.
According to Ambedkar, Buddha executed Communism even before Marx conceptualised it. He makes an attempt at enumerating differences between the Marxist approach and the Buddhist approach to communism. Ambedkar observes that Buddha was an egalitarian.This is visible in Buddha denying to take up the position of a dictatorial head of the Sangham when it was opportune, and also when Buddha advocated everybody everybody to wear uniform clothes. In a way this seemed to me as hardcore egalitarianism.
Also Ambedkar makes an attempt to point out that Marxist Socialism had been falsified,but he seems to have hesitated from providing empirical evidence. Why is it so? Did he not find compelling evidence on the failure of marxism? or was he afraid that debunking marxism would be detrimental to the Indian cause at that point of time?
This essay fell short of my expectations. Ambedkar's arguments in this essay arent as cogent as the ones in his other books. Maybe it is his soft corner for Buddhism that prevented in from cutting deep into Buddhism. But I find myself struggling not to give this piece 4 stars(because, Ambedkar.) - but doing so would be defenestrating the value system(ie,A value system grounded on individual worth as opposed to birth ) for which he stood for.
According to Ambedkar, Buddha executed Communism even before Marx conceptualised it. He makes an attempt at enumerating differences between the Marxist approach and the Buddhist approach to communism. Ambedkar observes that Buddha was an egalitarian.This is visible in Buddha denying to take up the position of a dictatorial head of the Sangham when it was opportune, and also when Buddha advocated everybody everybody to wear uniform clothes. In a way this seemed to me as hardcore egalitarianism.
Also Ambedkar makes an attempt to point out that Marxist Socialism had been falsified,but he seems to have hesitated from providing empirical evidence. Why is it so? Did he not find compelling evidence on the failure of marxism? or was he afraid that debunking marxism would be detrimental to the Indian cause at that point of time?
This essay fell short of my expectations. Ambedkar's arguments in this essay arent as cogent as the ones in his other books. Maybe it is his soft corner for Buddhism that prevented in from cutting deep into Buddhism. But I find myself struggling not to give this piece 4 stars(because, Ambedkar.) - but doing so would be defenestrating the value system(ie,A value system grounded on individual worth as opposed to birth ) for which he stood for.
zanderrose's review against another edition
3.0
I like this essay a lot. I can't say I agree with it entirely; a lot of Ambedkar's criticisms of the Soviet state, while valid, are extrapolated onto the whole of Marxist ideology, which I think is a mistake. However, I agree that the tendency of leftists to ignore spirituality is a detriment to the efficacy of leftist movements. Whether anything spiritual or supernatural is real is immaterial. The majority of people have spiritual beliefs and desire spiritual fulfillment, so a leftist movement must provide for that in some way. A leftist who reads Ambedkar may well decide that Buddhism might an ideal way to accomplish that. I wish Ambedkar had lived a few decades earlier and been able to have some influence on the communist movements in China or Mongolia.
More...