dialectic in action.

The dialectic is ever in motion

I dunno about raw radicalizations over the course of a single comment thread, but all I do on my Lemmy.ml account, @Cowbee@lemmy.ml is try to lead libs to theory. There have been quite a few bites today, far more than the weeks and months leading up to election day.

The most success comes from correcting misconceptions and keeping a level head, dunking is fun but it doesn’t usually reach the audience if you are trying to radicalize others, it reaches the existing radicalized audience more IMO. Agitprop has different forms for different occasions.

Salute marcie, always doing fantastic work

I’ll add it to my reading list!

Oh shit, forgot about that! Gotta dig into that, I don’t feel right not including decolonial theory in an American-targeted list. I’ll give it a dig, thanks!

On Practice and On Contradiction were strong contenders for my intro list. Perhaps on a full, advanced “DLC” list. I like Dialectical and Historical Materialism, but I feel that Politzer does a better job of explaining not only what DiaMat is, but how we got to it and why it’s important.

Thanks for adding the recs though!

Here’s a little “intro to Marxism-Leninism” list I threw together, modified a bit. It’s critically missing Queer Theory, Feminist Theory, and National Liberation theory, so any additions on that matter would be excellent. I am working through intersectional theory right now, which is why it is missing from this present list, the goal is to be as straight to the point as possible.

A good intro for someone with no familiarity is Engels’ Principles of Communism and if you are anti-AES but willing to read I recommend Parenti’s Blackshirts and Reds.

From there, it becomes more important to understand that Marxism-Leninism is broken into 3 major components:

1. Dialectical and Historical Materialism

2. Critique of Capitalism along the lines of Marx’s Law of Value

3. Advocacy for Revolutionary Socialism

And as such, I recommend, in order:

1. Politzer’s Elementary Principles of Philosophy

By far my favorite primer on Dialectical and Historical Materialism. By understanding DiaMat first, you make it easier to understand the rest of Marxism.

2. Engels’ Socialism: Utopian and Scientific

Further reading on DiaMat, but crucially introduces the why of Scientific Socialism, essentially explaining how Capitalism itself preps the conditions for public ownership and planning by centralizing itself into monopolist syndicates.

3. Marx’s Wage Labor and Capital as well as Wages, Price and Profit

Best taken as a pair, these essays simplify the most important parts of the Law of Value.

4. Lenin’s Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capitalism

Absolutely crucial and the most important work for understanding the modern era and its primary contradictions.

5. Lenin’s The State and Revolution

Excellent refutation of revisionists and Social Democrats who think the State can be reformed, and not replaced. Also a good call to action to cap off the intro.

After reading all of this, whoever has completed these works should have a good grasp of the basics of Marxism-Leninism and be equipped to do their own Marxist-Leninist analysis, though tons of excellent and fairly critical works were dropped for the sake of limiting the scope to an intro reading list.

If you get Fanon, that would be fantastic. Feinberg and maybe Bell Hooks are also on my radar for reading, though other comrades can make more specific recommendations as I am working through intersectional theory right now (and these books are long).

Go to sleep!

Leaning heavily towards Fanon, need to read it myself first but additionally I am trying to find a good, easy link for it that isn’t just anna’s archive. Epubs and online versions are much nicer for quick agitprop IMO.

Foundations of Leninism is good, but I do think the rest of the works thus far touch the same bases. Plus, since this is directed at libs, I fear linking Stalin may scare too many away, when the primary purpose is churning out MLs who will read Stalin at some point anyways, still going back and forth on that one in my head. Trying to capture the radical sentiment of disillusioned American libs in the aftermath of having their worldview rocked, not existing comrades. (Don’t want to create ultras, but if you ask me reading the works listed should logically prevent ultrafication due to the inclusion of Blackshirts)