On my use of Marx

So, since I can imagine some people referring to my regular uses of Marx as a sign I'm some sort of communist, so I decided I would nip this in the bud. I will admit that I do think Marx said a lot of interesting things that are accurate. However, I do want to make a point that one can see the world in a complex way in which they cherry pick parts of writers and philosophers they like, while ignoring the rest. I'm very much like this.

As I've said elsewhere, I have a particular dislike of the far left. Those who want to use revolutionary means to overthrow the system and establish communism. It doesn't work, it's extremely dangerous, and every time it has been tried things have been made worse. I like a lot of aspects of the current system. I just think we have improvement.

You see, in politics, we have this thing called the public policy cycle. Think of it as the scientific method of political science. It's a process in which problems are identified, agendas are set, options to solve the problem are weighed and evaluated, solutions are implemented, and then evaluated. After evaluating the solutions, new problems are identified if there are any and the cycle continues.

It's true that I use Marx a lot in discussing the problems, but I really only use Marx at the problem identification and perhaps some aspects of the agenda setting stage. I do not implement hardcore marxist solutions. My solutions are actually quite moderate and capitalist compared to Marxism. For example, basic income? Hardcore Marxists see it as a capitalist plot to placate the masses and stop them from seizing the means of production. Same with most of my other ideas. The only idea I have that even flirts with actual socialism is stuff like worker coops and workplace democracy. All in all, I'm just a very hard left "liberal" that wishes to reform the system via our current democratic means, and I wish to do so in a way that keeps the underlying structure of society in place, not replace it with something radical and probably unworkable. I just felt like this was worth discussing because I know how touchy our society can get when Marx is brought up.

Generally speaking though, educated people, free thinkers, etc., can discuss concepts and even agree with them in part, without accepting the whole thing as ideology. I see hardcore ideological worldviews, at least without some sense of self awareness of their subjectivity and flaws, as very dangerous, and I don't care what worldview we're talking about here. Extremism of any sort is dangerous, and life should not be predicated on some black and white sense of right and wrong. The world is grey. There's good and bad in everything. It doesn't matter how ideologically pure, or how evil you see someone or an ideology, most of the time, there will either be one fundamental flaw, or some redeemable qualities. A free thinker will be willing to grapple with all kinds of concepts while exercising judgment as to what is good and bad in addressing them. This is how I can bring up what I see are the redeemable qualities of Marx while ignoring that which I don't agree with.