Philosophy

Mike Zubrowski's letter in the last issue of Solidarity makes a strong case for the importance of reading long texts.

I agree with the main thrust of what Mike writes, and would agree with it as a critique of my article if I had actually argued what he claims that I did. But I didn't.

My article argued that "We can not just rely on a text-heavy newspaper any more." I did not write that reading long texts is not important, nor that other media could replace newspapers.

Japanese language not more socialist

Janine Booth’s article on neurodiversity and socialism (Solidarity 494) was valuable and interesting, but I want to query one (maybe unintended) implication.

With the passing of Robert Fine on 9 June 2018, the British left lost a truly exceptional figure. A respected sociologist at the University of Warwick, Fine was a long-time sympathiser of Workers’ Liberty. Though he was less involved in frontline activism towards the end of his life, he never lost his commitment to working-class struggle. In short, Fine never became a stereotypical “Marxist academic”.

The term "dialectic", as a description of a mode of reasoning, dates back to ancient Greek philosophy, and in general signifies a method of argument that involves some sort of contradictory process between opposing sides, usually as a path to successive approximations to truth.

Thus Plato presented his philosophical argument as a back-and-forth dialogue or debate, generally between Socrates and some other person.

At Workers' Liberty summer school – Ideas for Freedom 2015 – socialist Daisy Forest debated the Bishop of Manchester David Walker, on the question of 'Love thy neighbour, or class struggle?'

Below is a video recording of the debate, and also a transcript of Daisy's speech.

'Contradictions as the cause of change' (Part 5 of Edward Conze's series on dialectical materialism)

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Articles:

The unity of opposites (Part 5 of Edward Conze's explanation of dialectical materialism)
What was the USSR (Colin Foster)

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Articles:

Things must be studied in their movement (Part 3, on Dialectal Materialism) (Edward Conze)
What are transitional demands? (Jack Cleary)

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“The wind that shakes the barley”Catholic Action: A rift in the Iron Curtain, by James P Cannon

A Rift in the Religious Iron Curtain :1. From Hollywood To Rome

A Rift in the Religious Iron Curtain 2: Church and State

A Rift in the Religious Iron Curtain 3: The Protestant Counter-attack

Fighting sin or fighting capital? A Debate on Socialism and Religion