• Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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    4 months ago

    Why involve ChatGPT, rather than actually starting with the basics of Marx’s critique of Capitalism, especially the two I linked? I specifically mentioned WLaC and VPaP because they are already summaries and simplifications of Capital.

    Going beyond those two works into more complicated class dynamics like the petite bourgeoisie, lumpenproletariat, and so forth, concepts like the Base and Superstructure, Historical and Dialectical Materialism, and so forth can be explored later.

    Leftists absolutely should read theory, yes, but making theory a book-reading competition results in well-read academics who haven’t done any organizing on the ground, endlessly bickering and purity testing each other to no avail, wondering why Socialism hasn’t been built yet.

      • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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        4 months ago

        WLaC and VPaP are both pamphlets, Capital is a collection of large Volumes. The ideas presented in WLaC and VPaP are simple, straightforward, and deliberately written for the common worker, unlike Capital, which was directed towards academics.

        I hear and understand your point, but unfortunately in my experience trying to distill these ideas even further in Lemmy comments, and feed people individually piece by piece, results in far more questions and time investment than simply reading the texts.

        … anyways good luck appealing to people who already agree with you, and people who have already heard of these ideas and rejected them.

        I’m appealing to people who recognize that Capitalism isn’t working, but don’t yet fully understand the mechanics of why.

        Marxist are just plain shit at selling their ideas. That’s your ideologies entire problem.

        It is indeed a struggle to teach Marxist concepts within society dominated by Liberalism, yes. That doesn’t make the struggle pointless. If Marxism is indeed a correct method of analysis, like I believe it is, then it will continue to prove itself as such without care for the ideas held by society.