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Sacrificed
29th May 2007, 06:37
Hello there. I stumbled upon this forum while looking for politically radical circles on Google, and this one struck my interest.

I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Benjamin, a nineteen-year-old student from Illinois. I've always felt a little different about myself, and naturally gravitated to the less conventional social circles. I suppose it was only inevitable I become a dedicated left-winger.

I am not a Marxist, but I am a Communist. My qualm with Marxism is a qualm with the dialectic process inherited from Hegel, nothing more. Odd as it may sound, my favorite philosophers are Friedrich Nietzsche (I hope that doesn't get me banned immediately - I interpret him in a 'post-modern' light, as a forerunner to Foucault and his heirs) and Georges Bataille. Max Stirner was another influence on me, though I do not interpret him as a traditional individualist anarchist - for me, his writings herald the dissolution of the liberal subject, a sort of chemical-psychological reaction which breaks it down into its component pieces.

My primary interest is psychology, more specifically the relationship between religion, guilt and sacrifice in a material context. In all other respects my goals and beliefs are identical with those of the Communists, though I do reject the concept of liberal 'human rights' as something that requires a static self to be realized.

Perhaps my stance might be labeled psychological socialism. I've never met anyone else who shares my ideas, though this seems to be more or less the idea that Bataille held to. I am a materialist, but not a 'Being'-ist, a disciple of Parmenides and his atomist followers. If all this sounds like hogwash to you, then you're not alone - I don't really understand it myself. It isn't something I really have a cerebral grasp of just yet.

And now onto more mundane things: my favorite 'intellectual' film is J. Ellias Merhige's Begotten, which seems to me to be a summary of my entire ideological system; when I just want to relax, the Star Wars films are nice. I like rock music and classical and electronica, and I have a particular place in my heart for David Bowie. I like art, but have no talent of my own to produce it, though I wish I had. And I'm a fairly avid gamer.

That seems to be it for now, my introduction, full of big, flowery quasi-intellectual words that mean nothing in the end. I have my differences with many of you, but I hope they're minute enough to allow us to be allies in a common cause.

apathy maybe
29th May 2007, 08:59
Hey hey hey! Welcome to the glorious board.

I wish to introduce you to a fascinating idea called anarchism. It is my opinion, based on personal experience and extensive study of the relevant literature, that anarchists have more fun. Not only this, surveys (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=66540) suggest (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=66813) that lots of other folk agree with my assessment. :AO: :P

Right, now that is out of the way (I bet Raccoon is regretting starting that thread now ...). Being interested in philosophy, I hope that you will join the discussions in the philosophy forum. Watch out for Rosa, she can bite sometimes, though she claims to be gentle with newbies. The Science and Environment forum is a good place as well, if you learn any interesting psychological facts, be sure to post in there. There are nearly always discussions on Marxism going on, and input from non-Marxists are welcome, especially in those discussions considering the validity of the whole affair.

Anyway, I think that welcome is enough, welcome.

Sacrificed
29th May 2007, 11:42
Anarchism has always interested me, though it's hard to introduce oneself as an anarchist without worrying about being associated with those products that buy circle-A shirts at Hot Topic and think listening to bad punk music qualifies them for the title. Actual anarchism (certain strains of it, at least) has always had a much greater appeal for me than Marxism politically and philosophically. The more I find myself defending them - a common thing I've noticed recently is for anti-anarchists to place the blame on the movement for Mussolini's Italy, and by association National Socialism - the more I find myself in agreement with them.

Are there any good anarchist resources on the Internet?

apathy maybe
29th May 2007, 12:15
Well, if you are an anarchist, or identify with the ideas, don't introduce yourself as one. But rather talk about your ideas, the idea that humans don't don't need a parent once they grow up. Humans are capable of living together. And so on.

As to anarchist resources, there are heaps of links and threads in the Learning forum, Making Sense of Anarchism - Anarchism for Dummies (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=6421) and What makes an anarchist... (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=28053) are both good.

The best place outside RevLeft, except a really big fucking resource, is An Anarchist FAQ (http://www.infoshop.org/faq/).

Raúl Duke
29th May 2007, 14:55
Hi, Welcome :)


My qualm with Marxism is a qualm with the dialectic process inherited from Hegel, nothing more

There are some Marxists who have and are fighting/reject against the dialectical current in Marxism.

Like RedStar2000 and Rosa Lichtenstien.


And now onto more mundane things: my favorite 'intellectual' film is J. Ellias Merhige's Begotten, which seems to me to be a summary of my entire ideological system;

hmm...should remember to look this film up than and see it one day...


I have my differences with many of you, but I hope they're minute enough to allow us to be allies in a common cause.

Ok! :)


I like rock music and classical and electronica,.... I like art, but have no talent of my own to produce it, though I wish I had. And I'm a fairly avid gamer.


We have similar interests :blink:

Tower of Bebel
29th May 2007, 15:06
Welcome. I see only anarchists have repsonded. There are some people who also agree with (the fact that you're not fond of) Marx's or Hegel's dialectical aproach of society and history. You're not alone.

And Apathy Maybe, I've no regrets what so ever starting that thread. As I still haven't made any decisions yet what revolutionary 'faction' I belong to (although I'm member of a Trotskyist party). I have no problems with the, temporary :P , outcome of the poll.

Rosa Lichtenstein
29th May 2007, 17:41
Welcome to RevLeft, as as JD said, you will find many a kindred spirit here (not least in myself).

However, you do not need to accept dialectical philosophy to be a Marxist, as my Essays show.

Click on the links below for more details.

Sacrificed
29th May 2007, 19:39
Interesting essay, Rosa L.

Unfortunately, I can't really side with you, insofar as I hold to the same essential ontology of 'Becoming' Hegel accepted (my point of contention being the dialectical process itself as an inaccurate representation of the nature of Becoming - it ends with a surrender to Being once totality has been realized), so I buy into things like 'the fundamental untenability of the law of identity'. How can a thing in flux have a fixed identity? This leads to my anti-essentialism and so on.

All the same, I do agree with you that dialectical materialism isn't necessary to Marxism, a movement which would probably be better off without it. And I feel strongly that philosophical squabbles serve no other purpose than to undermine the radical left: I even reject Marx's mechanistic (i.e. Democritean) materialism, but entirely support his political goals. (I do not, however, agree with virtually any of his later followers. Of those I've read, only Gramsci interests me.)

It's generally a bad idea to derive a system of political activity from philosophy, simply because the range of potential philosophical systems is far wider than the field of political systems. Politics can be informed by philosophy; it should never be founded upon it.

My philosophy I get from Nietzsche and Stirner. My politics are an anarchic hodgepodge. I don't want a system intricately linking the two.

The Grey Blur
29th May 2007, 21:26
There are some Marxists who have and are fighting/reject against the dialectical current in Marxism.
You can't be a Marxist without acknowledging dialectics.

And hi Sacrificed.

NorthStarRepublicML
29th May 2007, 21:54
what up Sacrificed?

North Star Minneapolis your nearby neighbors to the north, check us out.

-R