Base and Superstructure

Alienation, autonomy, and ideology

Page 70 of 133

The Refusal of Work

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.

Continue reading

COVID-19 Data Update (October 2021)

covid risk assessment age vaccine

I wrote my last update on the COVID-19 data near the height of the delta variant phase of the pandemic in late August. At the time, case numbers were still rising. Since then, they continued rising until September 2. And then they started an extended decline. Let’s revisit the topic of COVID-19 and see where we’re headed.

Readers looking for my full history of posts on the topic can find links here: March 2020, August 2020, January 2021, August 2021.

Continue reading

FAQ #8: What’s your ideology?

OK, so one weird thing about leftist blogging? People often ask some version of the old question, ‘what’s your ideology?’

With liberals, this means asking whether you’re a Democrat or [insulting term for the sectarian leftist group liberals are upset about today]. But I’m not going to spend much time on that.

I want to talk about the version leftists ask. Leftists might ask whether you’re an anarchist. Or a communist and/or Marxist-Leninist, Marxist-Leninist-Maoist, or Trotskyist. Or anarcho communist. And so on.

Continue reading

October Reading List (2021)

Welcome to the October 2021 edition of the reading (and watching) list! Here are some things I’m reading (and watching) lately, as we move fully into the fall. Hopefully this gives readers some ideas for what to pick up as they lose fall leaves and prepare for colder weather.

Continue reading

About That October 15 Fake Strike

fake strike general strike picard

I’m sure some readers know about the planned ‘general strike’ on October 15. Or is it a fake strike? At least, many know that a group claims it’s planning one. Is it really planning one? Maybe. Probably not. Will there be a general strike on October 15?

No.

And that’s my topic for today. In fact, the October 15 event looks like a fake strike. I want to talk for a bit about the ‘fake strike‘: why it keeps happening, what it means, and what it says about the left.

Continue reading

« Older posts Newer posts »