So, a lot of listeners who’re new to left politics have asked us in the past to do introductions to the major theoretical and ideological positions on the broad left. The good news is we’ve done just that! Last year, I sat down with some friends and comrades in the Center for Participant Education to outline, in broad strokes, the differences between socialism, communism, and anarchism. What you’ll hear today is the first of those dialogues. This edition of the podcast is all about the economics, politics, and philosophical perspectives of socialism as it is broadly construed. I talk about Marxism, labor, and try to distinguish socialism from communism.
Keep in mind, this is all coming from someone who falls pretty firmly into anarchic tendencies, so take everything I have to say with a grain of salt. I encourage you, first and foremost, to investigate different positions on the revolutionary left for yourself and think critically about these ideas so that you can come up with you own convictions and conceptions. Just the same, I hope this mini-series paints each of these distinct philosophies in a fair, clear, and concise light so that you can hopefully begin to understand and distinguish the differences between these complex and complicated philosophies.
Also, if you think it would be helpful, you can check out the PowerPoints for each of these introductory philosophical episodes.
PowerPoints:
Notes:
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Music:
- Intro: "I Ain't Got No Home in this World" by Woody Guthrie
- Interlude: "R.E.D." by A Tribe Called Red
- Outro: "Work Song" by Hozier
