I myself do not really view “What is to be Done?” as a great beginner work for Marxists, since it mentions a lot of obscure philosophers or groups that a modern audience (with their cursory knowledge of Russian history being from the lips of liberals, or worse, conservatives) would hardly know the context of, and I am reading a version that has notes on these people!

That is not to say that it is not an influential or essential work of Lenin (I think it might be up there with “Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism” and “The State and Revolution” in terms of either factor), but one has to be willing to trudge through Russian names that you will likely never hear again.

  • 矛⋅盾@lemmygrad.ml
    5·
    10 days ago

    For example, a society that needs days or more to send a message from one place to another simply can’t move as quickly as a society that can instantaneously send a message across a great distance. This makes snap decision-making more common and more valued. It’s strange though because it’s not like this means society changes instantaneously. Rapid movement does not mean rapid change, necessarily, since the superstructure has to catch up to the base.

    I was just pondering about this yesterday: We in 2026 are more than twice as far away from 2001 (hi 9/11) as those who convened at the Bandung Conference (1955) was from the end of WWII (1945).

    I also think a lot about hurry/urgency (probably has something to do with anxiety, at least a little bit) and not doing enough/not being able to do enough.