Category Archives: Culture

“Otherwise there is only one other point lacking, which, however, Marx and I always failed to stress enough in our writings and in regard to which we are all equally guilty. That is to say, we all laid, and were bound to lay, the main emphasis, in the first place, on the derivation of political, juridical and other ideological notions, and of actions arising through the medium of these notions, from basic economic facts. But in so doing we neglected the formal side — the ways and means by which these notions, etc., come about — for the sake of the content. This has given our adversaries a welcome opportunity for misunderstandings, of which Paul Barth is a striking example.” — Friedrich Engels, to Franz Mehring on 14 July, 1893

Breaking With the Economic Beatitude: Refutations of Some Prevailing Notions Against the Basic Income

Posted on 31/03/2013 by Jerome Nikolai Warren

I’ve written elsewhere on the subject of immaterial hurdles facing the argument for the basic income guarantee [µ]. I want to shortly summarize the sentiments constituting these hurdles, and outline the counter-arguments I’ve given against these views. In my prior … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural analysis, Economics | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Review: A Very British Coup

Posted on 23/01/2013 by Gavin Mendel-Gleason

A socialist Labour Party government has finally come to power in Britain. Harry Perkins, a third generation communist, wins the position of Prime Minister. He and his cabinet immediately embark on a programme to break up media monopolies, nationalise industry, … Continue reading →

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On ideology and culture

Posted on 11/01/2013 by yeksmesh

“Related to this, but not entirely the same, is the tendency to classify certain movements not by their actual structure, forms, and ways of struggle, but by the specific, formal ideology they adopt to describe themselves. As such, a movement … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural analysis, Culture, Politics, Proletarian politics | Comments Off on On ideology and culture

Against Adhocracy

Posted on 21/11/2012 by Dara McHugh

Should we believe that we should organise outside of parties, outside of the State and outside of Left or Right? That with the right process people can come together as people and produce an impetus towards progressive social change? If … Continue reading →

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Orthogonal, by Greg Egan: a review

Posted on 22/09/2012 by modulus

Greg Egan’s books are remarkable for two rather unrelated reasons: on the one hand, the attention to detailed world-building which makes of his work “diamond-hard” science fiction, often including a great deal of mathematical rigour; on the other, a deft … Continue reading →

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Poetry: what it is for

Posted on 03/09/2012 by modulus

Poets have from ancient times enjoyed a special status, which connected them with the sacred and the sublime. They were often believed to be inspired by divinity and this position as mediators between a mundane everyday existence and something higher … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural analysis, Culture | 1 Comment

Adam Kotsko’s Why we love sociopaths – I wish I could love it but I really can’t

Posted on 29/07/2012 by Dara McHugh

This was a book that meets my interests almost perfectly – I’m fascinated both by the study of empathy and cultural representations of sociopathy. And I love watching TV. But Adam Kotsko‘s approach to the subject fits evidence to argument … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on culture in an age of superabundance

Posted on 12/07/2012 by modulus

One of the biggest triumphs of capitalism lies in having created the impression that it’s a natural system. A non-specialist, when considering other times and societies, will almost certainly interpret them through the prism of capitalist assumptions: transferable property, free … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural analysis, Culture, History | 1 Comment

Reds in space: socialist science fiction

Posted on 27/06/2012 by modulus

There’s a general view that science fiction is a literature of reaction. Michael Moorcock, tracing the pulp origins of its so-called “golden age” mocks the notion that it’s a literature of ideas in his Starship Stormtroopers–titled after Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural reviews, Culture | 6 Comments