Ask the Scholar
Page 24 of 46
I can add historical knowledge about this page.
Page image
OCR
The entire history of the human race suggests the impossibility
of achieving such a revolution of the human spirit that individuals
will voluntarily produce according to their abilities and consume
according to their needs. In other words, self-determination by each
individual of his abilities and his needs assumes the end of such
universal human characteristics as greed, selfishness, pride, and
avarice. Such instincts seem to have characterized human activity NATIONAL
since the dawn of history.
and
During thousands of years, under a wide variety of modes of
production, the leading religions of the world have been striving
without the slightest observable success to change the nature of man.
The actions of man in World War II afford not the slightest indication
of any improvement in his moral outlook since the dawn of time; indeed,
if allowance is made for his greater knowledge and education, man
would seem to have regressed rather than progressed so far as his
moral nature is concerned.
The inea that a single economic change such as the abolition
of private ownership of the means of production can eliminate these
enduring human characteristics seems fantastic; any structure of
society which is based upon such an assumption would seem to be com-
pletely unrealistic.
The Communist concept of the withering away of the State
when the ideal society is reached, overlooks the fact that class dif-
ferences may well be based upon other human characteristics than love
of property. It is not at all inconceivable that those who had headed
-22-
Page data
- Page
- 24
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- 1e55719388389315
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 213875129
- Core
- doc
- Type
- document
DTO data
{
"id": "213875129",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/213875129",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Report, Dialectical Materialism and Russian Objectives by Edward F. Willett",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/213875129",
"collections": [
"President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
"Subject Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750363/750363-07-001.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750363/750363-07-001.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750363/750363-07-001.jpg",
"imageCount": 46,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "213875129",
"label": "Report, Dialectical Materialism and Russian Objectives by Edward F. Willett",
"core": "doc",
"dtoType": "document",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/213875129"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "213875129",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/213875129",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Report, Dialectical Materialism and Russian Objectives by Edward F. Willett",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/213875129",
"collections": [
"President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
"Subject Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750363/750363-07-001.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750363/750363-07-001.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750363/750363-07-001.jpg",
"imageCount": 46,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Document source extras
{
"url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/213875129",
"naId": 213875129,
"levelOfDescription": "item",
"productionDates": [
{
"day": 14,
"logicalDate": "1946-01-14",
"month": 1,
"year": 1946
}
],
"recordType": "description",
"ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}
Page context
{
"seq": 24,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750363/750363-07-024.jpg",
"mediaId": "1e55719388389315",
"ocrText": "The entire history of the human race suggests the impossibility\nof achieving such a revolution of the human spirit that individuals\nwill voluntarily produce according to their abilities and consume\naccording to their needs. In other words, self-determination by each\nindividual of his abilities and his needs assumes the end of such\nuniversal human characteristics as greed, selfishness, pride, and\navarice. Such instincts seem to have characterized human activity NATIONAL\nsince the dawn of history.\nand\nDuring thousands of years, under a wide variety of modes of\nproduction, the leading religions of the world have been striving\nwithout the slightest observable success to change the nature of man.\nThe actions of man in World War II afford not the slightest indication\nof any improvement in his moral outlook since the dawn of time; indeed,\nif allowance is made for his greater knowledge and education, man\nwould seem to have regressed rather than progressed so far as his\nmoral nature is concerned.\nThe inea that a single economic change such as the abolition\nof private ownership of the means of production can eliminate these\nenduring human characteristics seems fantastic; any structure of\nsociety which is based upon such an assumption would seem to be com-\npletely unrealistic.\nThe Communist concept of the withering away of the State\nwhen the ideal society is reached, overlooks the fact that class dif-\nferences may well be based upon other human characteristics than love\nof property. It is not at all inconceivable that those who had headed\n-22-"
}