Allan G. Johnson’s book Privilege, Power, and Difference is a useful tool for understanding how systems of privilege work in contemporary capitalism. In a frank and accessible manner, he lays bare a framework for understanding how power relations and comparative… Read More ›
Marxism
Postmodern Theory: The Chains of Illusive Truth
In any sort of theoretical discussion, be it in the realm of history, psychology, philosophy or sociology, there is always the potential for one to engage a debate by dismissing the very validity of having a debate in the first… Read More ›
On Surrender: Taking the “Easy Way Out”
In times of struggle, there are always defectors and dropouts. No matter how vital a struggle is, no matter how crucial to the very survival and well-being of a people, there are always those who throw up their hands and… Read More ›
Incentive in Revolutionary Society
If one follows the typical narrative on socialism using capitalist assumptions of human nature as the base, the opponents of it would argue that there is inadequate incentive under socialism to work hard. “If you pay people the same, no… Read More ›
The Concept of Method: Dialectics and Metaphysics
In the process of acquiring knowledge and in their practical activities people set themselves definite goals and tasks. But to set a goal or to formulate a task does not mean that it will be accomplished. It is very important… Read More ›
On Marxism-Leninism
When one removes the rose-colored glasses of American consumerist ideology, that anti-culture which assures us that happiness is only “one purchase away,” the world we see is one plagued by stratification. We live in a world of billionaires and starving… Read More ›
Celebrate the 91st Anniversary of American Communism
Today marks the 91st anniversary of the birth of the first American Communist Party. The Communist Labor Party was formed on August 31, 1919 by John Reed, Benjamin Gitlow and other expelled members from the Socialist Party of America. The… Read More ›
American Progressivism
A growing trend in American reactionary thought is painting progressivism as “the cancer of America,” often even misusing the term as a synonym for socialism and radicalism. Progressivism can be loosely defined as reformist “welfare state” capitalism. These days the… Read More ›
Dialectics & Marxist Philosophy
What does one gain from studying Marxist philosophy? Marxist philosophy (1) is a harmonious system of man’s views of the surrounding world, the laws of its development and ways of cognising it. A study of philosophy, therefore, provides us with… Read More ›
The Revolutionary Process
It is without a doubt that our society as it stands is in desperate need of change. How does society truly change? What does change entail? Numerous ideologies have different ways of approaching these questions. Liberalism acknowledges that “change” to… Read More ›
A Marxist Perspective on Human Nature
Of all the reactionary squawking against the theory of Marxism, of the need for and viability of revolution, no worry is more prevalent than that of “human nature.” According to the capitalist, human beings are fundamentally greedy, ego-centric beings who… Read More ›
Letters to the American Party of Labor: If Socialism is So Great, Why Did it Collapse?
The following is a letter sent to redphoenixsite@gmail.com from alias NewDealNow. Dear APL, I’ve been reading your articles in The Red Phoenix for a while, and I like some of the things you have to say about Glenn Beck and… Read More ›
Role of the Individual in History
Because Marxists recognise historical necessity, bourgeois ideologists often accuse them of denying the role of individuals, of great people, of leaders, in history. These accusations are unfounded, for Marxism far from underestimates the role of the individual. Although Marxists maintain… Read More ›
The Withering Away of the State
The fact that it is necessary to strengthen and develop the socialist state does not mean that it will exist for ever. As socialist statehood develops, […] it will gradually become communist self-government of the people which will embrace the… Read More ›
The Myth of Overpopulation
What people who say that “population explosion is a phenomenon within itself” might not have considered is that most problems attributed to overpopulation are actually caused by political, social and economic conditions. The “overpopulation” movement is a disguise for the… Read More ›