This issue of Eszmélet addresses two main topics. The first is the critical evaluation of the basic principles of the world-systems analysis of Wallerstein. Contributors show that the great advantage of this analysis is the better than ever before understanding of the working of the global capital system. Nevertheless, its main problem among others is its lack of explanation of the changing social forms and the relative underdevelopment of historical dimensions. The second topic is the examination of the working class, the labour movement and workers as they are from Portugal to Hungary and from 1974-1975 to 1989-1990. This block of articles is published in the memory of Mark Pittaway, a historian and friend, who died too young. The debate over synthetic biology is carried further by two of our younger editors, questioning the borders of the "techno-science".  In addition, a study on Hieronymus Bosh reveals, of course with clear association to the present, how art reflects the cataclysmic transition from a dying society to a nascent one, which itself is a nightmare turned real…

Table of contents

1. Szergej Jermolajev, Szergej Szolovjov : Immanuel Wallerstein: the myth of historical capitalism
2. Szentes Tamás : Thoughts about the system based approach, interpreting systems and system changes
3. Artner Annamária : A no-bush has no flower
4. Szigeti Péter : The world-systems theory: arguments and problems
5. Krausz Tamás : What was “left out” from the theory of Wallerstein – Some reflections
6. Alan Woods : Hieronymus Bosch and the art of the death agony of feudalism
7. Bartha Eszter : Workers in state socialism: living standard, politics and legitimacy – Introductory notes
8. Michael Burawoy : The third great transformation: Riding Polanyi into the future
9. Nagy Éva Katalin : Workers councils in 1989 – The question of workers’ ownership in the process of the system change
10. Bartha Eszter : Mark David Pittaway, 1972-2010
11. Raquel Varela : Nationalizations: workers control or salvation of capitalism? – Case study on the nationalizations during the Portuguese revolution of 1974-75
12. Tütő László : Was Lenin a hacker?
13. Szalai László : Crisis management in cold war conditions
14. Koltai Mihály Bence : Some words about synthetic biology – answer to Ádám Fülöp’s article “Generation I
15. Fülöp Ádám : Games – without borders?