Is it more important...

[The Grey Blur]

...to have the correct theoretical groundings (no matter how much they isolate you from immediate working class politics) or is it more important to simply increase the visibilty of radical/socialist politics through participating in whatever campaigns/groups you can.

I know it might seem obvious yet there are a lot of leftists who seem to hold being 'ideologically pure' in higher regard than actual practical ideas...I think...

[RevMARKSman]

At least make sure you're right first. I don't want to go out and do a bunch of shit, then find out I was incorrect the whole time.

[bolshevik butcher]

Well actually theyre inexplicably linked. Theory always has a grounding in practise and vice versa. The most effecitve practise comes from having the correct theroectical understanding.

[Pawn Power]

Praxis is essential for change.

And I am a firm believer that through practice and engaged political action one will become more aware. Interacting with others and trying different things will lead to a further development of theory. You cannot ignore reality and only participatory involvment can you come face to face with reality.

Again, it is useful and often crucial to examine past methods and ideas to further your resources for change. And it is important to take a look at yourself and your position in society to understand why you have come to believe certain things and act in a certain way. And with your actions and engagment ask yourself if this is what will progress society and if this is the direction we want to move in.

[More Fire for the People]

The most immediate task is the organisation of working class groups that critically understand the world. So I would say a combination of both: participation leads to organisation, and organisation leads to understanding which leads to participation which leads to organisation etc.

[bcbm]

Ideology is dead weight. Work with all of the people you can and try to find those you can best relate to and move forward towards liberating projects from there. Support others doing the same.

[Prairie Fire]

"There can be no revolutionary party without revolutionary theory"

Look at the RUF in Seirre Leone: Even though they claimed to be the peoples liberators from the western imperialists and the government cronies, they lacked any theory more substantial than a paltry manifesto, and henceforth their units became merciless butchers of civilians and peasants. Without theory, even the most well meaning revolutionary organizations can become a vigilante mob.
Besides, if you have a revolution, it is to change the government/society, right? How can you change the government/society, without having an idea of what you're going to do AFTER the revolution?

On the other hand, too much theory is not a good thing either. When that happens, you become akin to the post-marxists: Ivory tower intellectuals, completely divorced from the masses and reality, pre-occupied with criticizing the faults of all succesful revolutions, but completly unable or unwilling to start a revolution themselves.

I agree with Bolshevik butcher, the two are one and the same.

[Dimentio]

Originally posted by Permanent [email protected] 11, 2006 09:22 pm
...to have the correct theoretical groundings (no matter how much they isolate you from immediate working class politics) or is it more important to simply increase the visibilty of radical/socialist politics through participating in whatever campaigns/groups you can.

I know it might seem obvious yet there are a lot of leftists who seem to hold being 'ideologically pure' in higher regard than actual practical ideas...I think...
The most important thing is to detach the people from the establishment and attach it to yourself.

[blueeyedboy]

No, I beleive you should stick to your working class roots. Of course learn about Marxism and stuff, but don't move away from the very people you are striving towards making life better. I believe that if you become intellectualy isolated from the working class, then another class forms, the intellectual class or the vanguard party. I don't belieive in the vanguard party for various reasons, but I won't go into that. Basically, don't stray from the working class.

[Dimentio]

Is it not a problem when the traditional industrial working class is slowly replaced with a proletariat of multi-work service workers who often are unemployed and frequently change works how different petty bourgeoisie employers?

[More Fire for the People]

Originally posted by [email protected] 15, 2006 12:54 pm
Is it not a problem when the traditional industrial working class is slowly replaced with a proletariat of multi-work service workers who often are unemployed and frequently change works how different petty bourgeoisie employers?
Multitude or Working Class? by Antonio Negri (http://libcom.org/library/multitude-working-class-negri).

[BobKKKindle$]

Look at the RUF in Seirre Leone: Even though they claimed to be the peoples liberators from the western imperialists and the government cronies, they lacked any theory more substantial than a paltry manifesto, and henceforth their units became merciless butchers of civilians and peasants. Without theory, even the most well meaning revolutionary organizations can become a vigilante mob.

The Bolshevik party, as a result of Lenin's outstanding contributions to and understanding of Marxist ideology, was ideologically and theoretically very advanced. However, they still engaged in acts of violence and repression towards, not just the forces of counter revolution, but other (libertarian) leftist movements during the Russian Civil War, the Kronstadt naval base uprising and the Tambov Peasant rebellion being notable examples So you cannot say that if a Party has a poor understanding of Marxism it will become alienated from and in opposition to the masses, because the Bolsheviks did exactly this despite their theoretical understanding.

Rather, the Bolsheviks betrayed the Revolution because they were based on Leninism and thus composed largely of Bourgeois intellectuals and organised in a rigid, heirachial and centralised structure, instead of being a true representation of the revolutionary elements of society - shown by the fact that the Bolsheviks forcibly disbanded the Worker's Committees and Unions that were established to represent workers interests in favour of party-controlled Soviets.

[rouchambeau]

It's very important to look back at history and learn whatever lessons that can be learned from it. Other than that, praxis is much more important. Only through praxis is history made that can be learned from.

[Janus]

What you are asking is the essential concept behind praxis as the others have already said. The kep point here is to ensure a balance between your theory and your actions; both need to match up: you shouldn't get too caught up in theory but neither should you toss it so lightly aside.