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Paul Le Blanc: Explorations in plain Marxism: revolutionary theory, practical action By Paul Le Blanc January 15, 2015 Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- The ideas of Karl Marx are often put forward as an invaluable resource for those wishing to understand the world in order to change it for the better. Yet various people who speak as Marxists often insist upon divergent ways of understanding even the most basic concepts associated with Marxism such as capitalism and the working class. There are also perplexing divergences around such conceptions as ideology, class-consciousness, and the seemingly bizarre concept of labour aristocracy. As if this wasnt enough, relatively new concepts identity and intersectionality have been thrown into the mix. Its almost enough to make activists throw up their hands, shout an expletive or two, and walk away. Of course, one can simply jump into activity to make the world a better place while saying to hell with all these stupid theories. But this could reduce chances of understanding the world well enough to be able to actually change it positively. Practical action can be most effective if it is guided by certain structures of understanding that correspond to the way the world actually works. In what follows, controversies among Marxists will be touched on in a manner contributing I hope to the development of effective revolutionary socialist perspectives. http://links.org.au/node/4251 _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
