Let's talk introductory leftist literature, Marxists, Anarchists and all snowflakes welcome
What would you call required reading to understand whatever ideology you follow?
What do you think is required reading for all leftists regardless of flags?
What do you think is required reading for all leftists in regards to economics?
There's a big call for people to read more here, but not too much discussion on what to actually read to introduce yourself to theory. Should the literature we recommend to newer leftists be more modern, or is it absolutely essential to read [author from the early 1900s] to be a leftist?
I believe people should read the Communist Manifesto at least. That is what I would have for a required reading at least for beginners.
Then Das Capital for understanding the problems with Capitalism.
Owen Wright
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, by Lord Keynes
Colton Jenkins
A lot people (even on this board) have a terrible grasp of philosophy. So my required reading list would include important works of epistemology, maybe even political philosophy, before I have them read any leftist lit.
Evan Harris
The wealth of nations. No point reading das Kapital if you're not familiar with basic economics first.
That's probably because of the economism prevalent among the left. We today should reassert the primacy of politics
Ryan Moore
If you really want to ruin the day of someone trying to argue the unemployed are parasites, just bring up the paradox of thrift. This drags them into an awful debate where they eventually have to confess that wages need to go up.
Joseph Torres
Learning deep critical thinking is more important and valuable than learning which lines from an old book you need to recite.
I guess, but movements need solid theory to really flourish and I'm curious what theory is considered important to people here.
Capital seems a bit lofty for an introduction to Marxian economics, no? To have someone go from the communist manifesto (basically a pamphlet) to capital seems a big jump.
I feel like the ABCs of Materialist Dialectics is pretty crucial, and short enough to be easily consumable.
Jose Evans
Mutual Aid is a good first read for people wrapped up in "b-but WHAT ABOUT NATURE HUH???" but not quite taking the porky suppository. I wouldn't say it's a necessity for socialists, though.
Both of these anons are also correct.
Aaron Allen
Maybe we should think about it along the lines of
From there each snowflake can decide what would be good introductions for their ideologies? MLs I'm sure have a reading list they want to see read, I assume ancoms have theory. It might be nice to make a sticky later on with Holla Forums recommended reading for X if we want this board to get better.
Michael Miller
I was thinking of assembling a Mega download arranged via ideology (communism, anarcho-communism, mutualism, syndicalistm, etc) for learning the basics, philosophy and economics of each, but I'm honestly not sure where to start.
Camden Fisher
Just a normal commie here.
Read treatise on social inequality followed by the social contract and you've uncovered the mysteries of Azathoth as far as I'm concerned.
see above
Steve Keen: Debunking Economics
Kierkegaard is all you need other than that
Joseph Ward
I think a basic classical Marxist reading list would be a good start honestly.
I'm sure if we went to /Marx/ they would be more than happy to give us their essentials for ML which could be stripped of some literature and made into essential Leninism.
We have a couple of Leftcoms who know their theory well enough to recommend reading too I think.
Where are the anarchists? We want your theory too.
Samuel Rivera
Luxemburg's "reform or revolution" and "the mass strike" are vital for leftcom and libmarx in general.
Dylan Brown
(checked)
Lucas Perry
Why would you waste your time trying to beat porky at his own "muh human nature" game and not just read Marx who BTFOs the concept altogether?
Andrew Clark
Reform or Revolution should be required reading for all leftists I think, but that's just me.
Joseph Russell
You don't. I like it because it's good for people who are teetering on socialism but too afraid to read Marx.
Elijah Turner
AK manual Hard to say. Manifesto, Capital, Anti-During are all good, but hardly sufficient.
Well, you do need to learn something beyond the basics, at some point. Unless your ideology is limited to the basics, of course.
Yep. Yep. A-and - no. What book are we talking here about exactly?
I don't think I've ever met anyone who possessed deep critical thinking and wasn't well-read.
So - no. That's a fallacy here. First you read, then you think.
[tankie noises]
Jackson Wright
...
Brody Ortiz
This is (You) for you.
Austin Long
Unsure commie here, would The Conquest of Bread count?
Owen Garcia
I haven't read it yet honestly, but it's always seemed like a favorite of ancoms, right?
Maybe that can be part of essential ancom reading. Some ancom either confirm or refute this plz
Luke Ward
I'm ancom myself actually, I just haven't read it yet. Planning to, but was wondering how other commies viewed it.
Short Introductions for: Socialism, Capitalism, Liberalism.
This is aimed exactly to introduce people to this topics. And they are pretty well written in general, so yeah. Have fun.
1/2
Eli Flores
cont. 2/2
Introductions for: Anarchism and Marx.
Aiden Kelly
For Anarcho-Nihilism i would start with The Revolutionary Catechism by Sergey Nechayev wich pretty mutch Revolutionized the Nihilistic Movement back in 19th century Russia.
Revolutionary Self-Theory by Larry Law, its a text to rid your mind of idealogy and the party line and start thinking for yourself. You shouldnt follow idea's but you should take ideas and make them your own. theanarchistlibrary.org/library/larry-law-revolutionary-self-theory
A Treatise on Political Economy by Jean Baptiste Say without a doubt, This is the core text to classic econ explaining the most fundamentals of capitalism from scratch. Dont start with the Wealth of Nations cause that book is only but a comfy criticism of Mercantilism. A Treatise on Political Economy is long (800) but everything of economics is well explained from scratch.
Please god no! Not the A short introduction series. Most texts are straight out rape of the subject and there are but a vew pearls in there. And especially the Anarchist one is pure garbage, only books of the series wich are good is the one about the Russian Revolution and Capitalism.
Please only recommend stuff that you have read and not read the title of.
I'm not sure what you mean. I'm definitely not a tankie
Julian Campbell
Stop posting doctor doom OP, it reminds me of expressostalinist
Zachary Lee
...
Evan Taylor
I've read every single one of the ones I've posted. The one about Marx was written by Singer, and is good; the one on liberalism and socialism explain the basics and the others are good too.
You're just "triggered" about the one on Anarchism, and I can understand that. But the others are good introductory texts. Thanks n1x
William Myers
Oh, come on. I didn't see a single GoT episode, but even I know.
