Thoughts on production, alienation, and ideology
These are posts about books from the blog Base and Superstructure. Occasionally I’ll read a book worth talking about, and write some thoughts on it. These cover a wide range of topics from the blog.
I’m a sci-fi fan, in general, and an Isaac Asimov fan, in particular. I’ve written about him before, both for the good and the bad. Since there’s a TV show out on his Foundation Series, I wanted to re-read some of the Foundation books.
While reading Prelude to Foundation, a brief chapter on a character named Davan captured my interest. I’ll call him Davan the Communist. He collects some themes of organizing on the left.
Welcome to the first reading post of the new year! Follow along for some of the things I’ve been reading lately. Hopefully you find something of interest, and let me know what you’ve been reading lately!
Welcome to the final reading list post of 2021! As the year ends, I’ve continued reading books on baseball. But I’ve added to that some books on quarantine and tech politics.
Read on and enjoy!
As we enter our second pandemic winter, I’m reading a wide range of things. Some baseball. Some nostalgia. And some science. If you’re interested in some new reads this winter, continue on for the full list.
For decades, the left has split roughly into a pro-work and an anti-work camp. David Frayne doesn’t exactly frame his book The Refusal of Work as a contribution to that debate. But lots of people on the anti-work side cite it in support of their views. And so, I recently read The Refusal of Work with an eye toward its implications for that debate.
I’ll lay out a few thoughts on The Refusal of Work in this post. I think the book makes some valuable contributions to moral and political debates about work. It lays out some of the problems with work and helps us imagine alternatives. But I don’t think Frayne does many favors for the anti-work socialist camp.
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