Welcome to Litsy!

Just a world-renowned theoretical physicist taking a few moments to lay down clear, concise, (depressingly relatable to the modern reader) reasoning in 1949 for why the current (western?) societal obsession with the individual and the evils of capitalism are proof that society, economy and government needs a change, and the best way forward is socialism. 1/2

"It seems to me that all suicides in circumstances of hunger and need have the undoubted character of murder... The question of a right to suicide will only make sense in a future society where no material motives for suicide will exist. Only in a society that has guaranteed to all its members the means of existence will the question be appropriate.”

- Yevgeny Preobrazhensky, 1912

“The capitalist himself does not know in most cases how much variable capital he employs in his business. We have already seen . . ., and we shall now see further, that the only distinction within his capital that impresses itself on the capitalist as fundamental is the distinction between fixed and circulating capital.”

Marx and Engels‘s historical analysis is breathtakingly, brilliantly simple. I think it‘s wrong but, again, you‘ve just got to admire its genius. Obviously, without understanding the historical basis of Marx‘s thought you can‘t understand anything else in Marxism.

“We see here again how a variation in constant capital has the same effect on the rate of profit, irrespective of whether this variation is brought about by an increase or decrease in the material components of c, or simply by a change in their value.”

Enjoying an egg and cheese sandwich and a “shakerato” (espresso and sugar shaken over ice) with some Marx before running errands. Officially enough of a regular at this cafe that the owner knows my name ☕️ 📖

After a long break, finally picking up Marx again. Enjoying a picnic in a local park with the best flowers. Having an egg and cheese sandwich on a cheddar chive biscuit and a rose white mocha. One of the park workers gave me a flower crown!

What socialism decoupled from the mistakes of the past might look like, especially from a feminist lens, and all the ways capitalism is extra-shitty for women. Spent a decent amount of time making me angry, and that's a good thing! A mixture of anecdotes and scholarly research and citations, it didn't feel too textbook-y. I would suggest that as useful as it was reading it as a Canadian, it would be even more so for Americans.

"We need to watch for the ways that history is strategically deployed to promote or suppress different political projects."

Never heard that old chestnut of 'having it all' described quite that way before. 👀