Oct 8, 2023·edited Oct 8, 2023Liked by Librarian of Celaeno
I'm reminded of that classic quote from ol' Karl himself when feuding with Guesde: "Je ne suis pas marxiste." :D
Two other things:
1) This is an extraordinarily eloquent and well written post. Read this line again, people! "One thinks of the feminist Medusa Holding the Head of Perseus, ante-art based on ante-myth, a monster triumphant over a civilizing hero, cast in resin because the artist lacked the ability to work in bronze, a technology mastered by actual artists five millennia ago." Absolute fire! (Thanks, Prometheus!) You've given me a lot of great topics and fellow Substackers to read up on here.
2) Thank you so much for not only taking the time to read my Anti-Life articles, but for including them here and doing such a brilliant job of contextualizing them. I am truly grateful to be able to read--and, astonishingly, be read by--writers such as yourself here on Substack.
This is quite a labor of love! I do a shorter monthly digest of “enchanting reads on Substack,” so I respect what you put into this! In case you’re interested, Sal Randolph and Julie Gabrielli and I are cooking up a 3-way collaborative reflection on the same art object in November from our different lenses of literature, art, and architecture. We are all sub-millers. Might be interesting. Thanks for the rec’s!
When I logged in and saw 13 notifications, I thought I had offended somebody and their friends. Turns out, it was because you sent a curious mob my way. Thank you!
You compiled quite the digest! A lot of interesting food for thought to ruminate on.
What you said about Marx is especially insightful and helps me clarify some of my thoughts about him and his legacy. He was a devil and gave birth to a demonic religion that has caused more death, destruction, deception, and suffering than any other, yet there is an element of truth to his critiques.
Marx is like a doctor who identified real symptoms of a real disease, but then prescribed a " cure" that's even worse than the disease itself and that precipitates a doom loop of worse symptoms, creating a justification for more of the "cure," causing even worse symptoms, creating even more demand for the "cure," ad infinitum.
Even as I condemn Bolshevism, I recognize that it didn't come out of nowhere. The empty materialism and the mindless pencil pushing and lever-pulling of organization men was spiritually toxic too. Both Marx and the capitalists wanted humans to be ant-like; they just disagreed about what the hive should be doing and how its hierarchy should be ordered; but both aimed to deaden and destroy any part of our Humanity not conducive to living as ants.
Anyway, thanks for articulating it the way you did. That was really helpful for clarifying these issues.
I think it's good to remember that very few writers with an enduring reputation are totally off base. C.S. Lewis talked about the need to read older writers on the grounds that, while they make errors, they are not likely to be the same errors as one's contemporaries. We all see through a glass darkly, but we peer through that lens from different angles, and the broadest possible perspective is gained by studying the reports of the most eyes. I think that kind of wide study- and prayer- are the best means of cultivating discernment.
Very important point. C S Lewis was extraordinarily wise and saw the bigger picture and fundamental issues in Life that most of us miss (myself included).
Thanks for the recommendations! I wholeheartedly agree that rightists need to have an in-depth knowledge of Marxism. I would also suggest reading Main Currents of Marxism by Leszek Kołakowski and, if you can read French, Le marxisme de Marx by Raymond Aron. Both Kołakowski and Aron were anti Marxists, but their monographs are fair and objective.
Since I had to aswitch computers, some Stacks aren't allowing me to comment for some reason unknown to me.
Will have to return to read more carefully, but consider this re: Marx and marxism:
The state of life for the vast majority of workers. Jack London's description of London's East End describes what capitalism caused. Hardly surpirisng that peoples all over Europe listened to socialists, given that capitalist ethos was social-Drawinist and christian-Calvinist and saw no problem with child-prostitution, using minors as miners and worse.
Plus that democracy and nationalism were revolutionary forces challenging the powers at the time, said powers trying depsrately to preserve a system grown out of medieval feodalism and religious totalitarianism.
What effed things up was the Russian Revolution and what followed.
I think it's important to remember as well that there were a whole range of people in the 19th century critiquing capitalism from all sorts of perspectives. I'd go so far as to say that you would have a harder time finding an intellectual offering an unqualified defense of capitalism than one attacking it. John C. Calhoun gave a speech, "Slavery a Positive Good," in which he defended chattel slavery in the Old South on the implied grounds that it was better than factory work. So it's not as if Marx was coming out of nowhere. What made him different was his pretensions to science and his eschatology.
Wow, you read a lot of substacks! Herculean. Thanks for the shout out. Lots of gold in here, too.
I do my best, but I always find after the fact that I've neglected to mention someone I had every intention of noting.
☺️ thanks! And I can't wait to peruse some of these other Substacks you point to. 👍😌
There's enough to keep a reader busy for a good while.
I'm reminded of that classic quote from ol' Karl himself when feuding with Guesde: "Je ne suis pas marxiste." :D
Two other things:
1) This is an extraordinarily eloquent and well written post. Read this line again, people! "One thinks of the feminist Medusa Holding the Head of Perseus, ante-art based on ante-myth, a monster triumphant over a civilizing hero, cast in resin because the artist lacked the ability to work in bronze, a technology mastered by actual artists five millennia ago." Absolute fire! (Thanks, Prometheus!) You've given me a lot of great topics and fellow Substackers to read up on here.
2) Thank you so much for not only taking the time to read my Anti-Life articles, but for including them here and doing such a brilliant job of contextualizing them. I am truly grateful to be able to read--and, astonishingly, be read by--writers such as yourself here on Substack.
Cheers!
Iron sharpens iron, friend. Substack has a deep bench of talent. The more we all work to advance each other's craft, the more we progress as artists.
It is an honour and the best external motivation I could think of. Thank you.
This is quite a labor of love! I do a shorter monthly digest of “enchanting reads on Substack,” so I respect what you put into this! In case you’re interested, Sal Randolph and Julie Gabrielli and I are cooking up a 3-way collaborative reflection on the same art object in November from our different lenses of literature, art, and architecture. We are all sub-millers. Might be interesting. Thanks for the rec’s!
I will look into that. Tag me when you post it and I’ll give it a mention.
Will do! Thank you for celebrating and supporting Small Stackers!
When I logged in and saw 13 notifications, I thought I had offended somebody and their friends. Turns out, it was because you sent a curious mob my way. Thank you!
Great reviews! Thank you!
Kudos for the Six Million Dollar Man reference!
Modern fight scenes need more slow-mo and cruise missile sound effects.
No argument from me!
Thanks for the shout out of Deconstructing Deconstructivism.... and pointer to these other interesting reads.
I'm glad I encountered your work. It fit this issue's theme perfectly.
Thank you for the shoutout sir! I am happy to be able to satisfy your interest.
You do great work.
You compiled quite the digest! A lot of interesting food for thought to ruminate on.
What you said about Marx is especially insightful and helps me clarify some of my thoughts about him and his legacy. He was a devil and gave birth to a demonic religion that has caused more death, destruction, deception, and suffering than any other, yet there is an element of truth to his critiques.
Marx is like a doctor who identified real symptoms of a real disease, but then prescribed a " cure" that's even worse than the disease itself and that precipitates a doom loop of worse symptoms, creating a justification for more of the "cure," causing even worse symptoms, creating even more demand for the "cure," ad infinitum.
Even as I condemn Bolshevism, I recognize that it didn't come out of nowhere. The empty materialism and the mindless pencil pushing and lever-pulling of organization men was spiritually toxic too. Both Marx and the capitalists wanted humans to be ant-like; they just disagreed about what the hive should be doing and how its hierarchy should be ordered; but both aimed to deaden and destroy any part of our Humanity not conducive to living as ants.
Anyway, thanks for articulating it the way you did. That was really helpful for clarifying these issues.
I think it's good to remember that very few writers with an enduring reputation are totally off base. C.S. Lewis talked about the need to read older writers on the grounds that, while they make errors, they are not likely to be the same errors as one's contemporaries. We all see through a glass darkly, but we peer through that lens from different angles, and the broadest possible perspective is gained by studying the reports of the most eyes. I think that kind of wide study- and prayer- are the best means of cultivating discernment.
Very important point. C S Lewis was extraordinarily wise and saw the bigger picture and fundamental issues in Life that most of us miss (myself included).
Thanks for the recommendations! I wholeheartedly agree that rightists need to have an in-depth knowledge of Marxism. I would also suggest reading Main Currents of Marxism by Leszek Kołakowski and, if you can read French, Le marxisme de Marx by Raymond Aron. Both Kołakowski and Aron were anti Marxists, but their monographs are fair and objective.
I will look into both books; my French isn't bad.
Kolakowski's book is quite a tome, I warn you. It took me nearly month, but definitely worth the read.
Testing that I can comment again.
Of course you can comment; your comments are great.
Thanks; I've been having coffee-in-the-computer-related problems for a few days.
Great! It's alive!
Since I had to aswitch computers, some Stacks aren't allowing me to comment for some reason unknown to me.
Will have to return to read more carefully, but consider this re: Marx and marxism:
The state of life for the vast majority of workers. Jack London's description of London's East End describes what capitalism caused. Hardly surpirisng that peoples all over Europe listened to socialists, given that capitalist ethos was social-Drawinist and christian-Calvinist and saw no problem with child-prostitution, using minors as miners and worse.
Plus that democracy and nationalism were revolutionary forces challenging the powers at the time, said powers trying depsrately to preserve a system grown out of medieval feodalism and religious totalitarianism.
What effed things up was the Russian Revolution and what followed.
I think it's important to remember as well that there were a whole range of people in the 19th century critiquing capitalism from all sorts of perspectives. I'd go so far as to say that you would have a harder time finding an intellectual offering an unqualified defense of capitalism than one attacking it. John C. Calhoun gave a speech, "Slavery a Positive Good," in which he defended chattel slavery in the Old South on the implied grounds that it was better than factory work. So it's not as if Marx was coming out of nowhere. What made him different was his pretensions to science and his eschatology.
Hey, thanks. Very kind of you.
I feel honored to be mentioned in the second Sub Mille! Thank you so much Librarian, it means a lot.
I love these posts, not because you reference me, but because I learn about so many good publications and writers. Thank you once again for this.
Nice idea for a post! Lovely.