Western Marxism and Anticolonial Revolution - Losurdo's Western Marxism Study Group (Session III)

We examine Losurdo's criticism of western Marxism in relation to anticolonial revolution following the Second World War. We discuss Walter Benjamin's Theses on the Philosophy of History, Max Horkheimer's Authoritarian State, Althusser's antihumanist turn, Sartre's Critique of Dialectical Reason, Adorno's Nietzschean pessimism, and Tronti's workerism. We discuss how Losurdo pinpoints an aversion to the anticolonial revolution in the Marxist theories that are generated by these thinkers. We discuss the merits of Losurdo's polemic, where it hits the mark and where it falls short.
Please join us at / torsiongroups

[@阳明子]

Really enjoyed everybody's contributions in this discussion. Thanks to all who participated!

[@ReclaimedDasein]

Oh... Oh... god damn it. 1:15:00. It hurts my soul. Great comment, great video... I actually need to read Losurdo because he's the hot shit in Marxism Leninism.

[@caterinastrambiodecastilli7555]

1:20 the guy is very paternalistic. The level of Italian workers consciousness in the 1970ies and 80ies regarding the importance of solidarity and struggle alongside third world’s oppressed people, was very high and apparently more developed that this gentleman’s. Losurdo does not criticize workers but workerist intellectuals in the West

[@caterinastrambiodecastilli7555]

1:27 the way we inject Eastern Marxism is by intellectuals first to learn from experiences outside Europe. The idea is that unless we struggle with everyone around the world, unless we realize that our struggles are intimately connected to the struggles of people in the global south, we are condemned to failure and, frankly irrelevance

[@shannonm.townsend1232]

Does anyone have an opinion on Lewis Mumford's The Pentagon of Power, and his views of civilization and technics? Is there any utility there?

[@The_capital_group]

What was the name of the hans-jürgen krahl reference?

[@emancipations]

viewpointmag.com/2014/09/25/the-philosophy-of-history-and-the-authoritarian-state-1971/

[@VarnVlog]

If you have to focus on a low rez reading, it does say something about the level of substance to the claims

[@阳明子]

Or it says Losurdo didn't want to write a 5000 page book critiquing every brainchild of every thinker he discusses

[@neiltonferreirajunior357]

Great conversation! Obrigado!

[@caterinastrambiodecastilli7555]

The other important aspect is to do away with Carlo Garrido’s purity fetish and anti statalism. Let’s learn from people that have lifted 800 million people out of poverty instead of feeling so damn superior all the time. Frankly some humility and willingness to learn

[@in.der.welt.sein.]

So, is calling something anarchism, utopian, millinarianism, or ultra-leftism an argument? Or is that only appealing to someone already in agreement?

[@阳明子]

This is a discussion on Losurdo's book Western Marxism. Check there for the arguments.