I’m hoping to generate some good discussion with this video so please feel free to comment below maduro-coffee

  • tripartitegraph [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    11 months ago

    I think it’s from an interview he gave, but the piece I’ve seen is from his book Understanding Power, page 228. Here’s the quote:

    Dialectics is one that I’ve never understood, actually-I’ve just never understood what the word means. Marx doesn’t use it, incidentally, it’s used by Engels? And if anybody can tell me what it is, I’ll be happy. I mean, I’ve read all kinds of things which talk about “dialectics”-I haven’t the foggiest idea what it is. It seems to mean something about complexity, or alternative positions, or change, or something. I don’t know.

    I’m no fan of Chomsky, but even still, that whole section is kinda wild. He says Marxism is basically just theology and “an irrational cult”, and then takes deep issue with the name “marxism” because we should just absorb the good ideas thinkers and scientists have and move forward from them? I don’t know, it comes off to me as an incredibly juvenile and unserious critique. Noam is obviously smart, but he just obviously doesn’t give a shit about even trying to understand marxism. Obviously he’s not one, but it comes off as intellectually lazy.

    • ImOnADiet
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      11 months ago

      ah thanks for finding that, I’ve been looking for the interview and couldn’t find this one I was looking for, I guess I misremembered how old he was in the interview if that’s the one I saw? Or maybe he just repeated similar phrasing in an interview in the last few years…