로렌스와 러셀의 정치관: 1915년 그리고 이후

Abstract

Starting form February 1915, Lawrence and Russell cooperated for about 1 year sharing their objection to the war and discussing political reform, and planned for joint-lectures on social reconstruction. Essentially individualistic and psychological, Lawrence’s socialist ideas such as nationalisation of infrastructure did not proceed to reflection on specific political-economic programs for fair distribution of material resources or provision of basic means of living. But Russell was mainly concerned with the social and political process that would enable the self-realisation of the individual Lawrence pursued. Lawrence was fundamentally sceptical about the Enlightenment principles of democracy and equality, which were the basis of Russell’s philosophy and which had been the driving force behind industrialisation that promoted maximisation of competition and possessiveness. He insisted that power should not be handed over to the people and ultimately should be concentrated on an absolute dictator. Russell criticised Lawrence’s authoritarian politics on the grounds that it was unrealistic and proto-fascist. Lawrence saw the causes of love of humanity and equality of man were mobilised for propaganda of the state and the ruling classes to deceive the public into believing the specious slogans of the war and to instigate hatred and justify mass-slaughter. He reached the conclusion that a real change could not be expected from the political options on the table at that time including representative democracy and socialism. In Kangaroo and The Plumed Serpent Lawrence sought a revolution led by charismatic leadership as a sweeping solution to the various problems in modern history―industrialism and worship of Mammon, imperialism, and decline of spiritual values. We find a structural contradiction in the combination of anarchism and dictatorship in his political thought. Overall, he did not want to give up the ideas of the state and social hierarchy despite his constitutional anarchism. In a society he imagined, a few individuals would join the leadership or persue self-realisation, but the masses would only function as means of production. He believed life cannot be changed by replacing a few parts without dismantling the whole system. As a believer of Enlightenment and social progress, Russell tried to solve the social problems at that time within the pale of civilisation. Lawrence sought a solution outside civilisation since he saw the problems were arising from the intrinsic nature of civilisation itself and the system created by industrial capitalism. The political thought of Russell has some limits in providing an effective framework for comprehending the dwindling individual freedom in administered society that is supposed to promote rationality and democracy. Paradoxically, political views of Lawrence can provide a perspective to understand the problems of pseudo-democracy in modern capitalist society that institutionalises inequality and exploitation under legal systems. His critique of bourgeois democracy based on rationalist vision tells us that facile belief in progress and individual freedom, as well as the self-righteousness and complacency of modern democratic society, can be a threat to democracy itself.