Ask Lemmygrad destructor_rph • Now • 97%

How would you describe gravity in terms of dialectics?

I had this question proposed to me recently, and thought I would give it my best shot. I would love any input you guys have on how I can refine this further, make it more clear, more accurate, more succinct, all that. Also, this is specifically geared towards Marxist-Leninists and Marxist-Leninist-Maoists, and that understanding of dialectics, just to be clear. I'm not interested in the hyper-orthodox understanding of dialectical materialism. I don't understand the ins and outs of gravity perfectly, but here goes. Internal contradiction is what drives all things. This is true for gravity, as much as anything in the world. Gravity could then be analyzed in the framework of the contradictor forces within gravity. What would those forces be? Well, Einstein's general relativity is probably the best place to start. I will outline the two contradictory forces below. Again, I don't know a ton about the in's and out's of it, but the way I see it, there are two sets of contradictions at work in "gravity". First, the contradiction of Mass and Spacetime Curvature. We have the force of attraction, where masses attract each other, but contradictory to that, we also have the resistance of compression, where the curvature of space resists this attraction. Second, we have the contradiction of Inertia and Graviational Pull. Objects resist changes to their existing state of motion, but the force of attraction seeks to change the motion of objects In the case of general relativity, I would say the first contradiction is the primary one, since that relationship is what defines the attraction between masses, and the resistances between each one. I would say the second contradiction is the secondary one, since it's still crucial for understanding how gravity works, but, it explains the result of gravitational attraction, rather than the fundamental cause of it. In the case of the primary contradiction, I would say that the force of attraction is the primary aspect of the contradiction, over resistance to compression, since the attraction of mass to itself is the fundamental reason why spacetime is distorted in the first place. In the secondary contradiction, gravitational pull is of course, the primary aspect there. Let me know what you think, and thank you.

Ask Lemmygrad destructor_rph • Now • 95%

What disagreements are there between Marxist-Leninists and "Left Coms" on the nature of the dialectic?

Firstly, I will say I have read enough to understand that the the "Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis" stuff is nonsense peddled by Fichte, and isn't really relevant to Marxist studies (or even Hegel for that matter). However, when I've discussed this very thing in various circles online, as an outspoken ML, there are some attitudes I've noticed that seem to indicate many "left coms" hold very different views and interpretations of dialectics and therefore dialectical materialism in comparison to MLs, and I'm very curious as to what this disagreement is? Especially, what part of dialectics do they believe that MLs such as Stalin and Mao are misunderstanding or misconstruing? How does this tie into Marx and Hegel's proposition of the dialectic (idealism and materialism being the only obvious one with Hegel). I've been searching a bit lately and haven't been able to find anything incredibly solid in the literature, so I thought I would consult here. Thanks!

Ask Lemmygrad destructor_rph • Now • 100%

What did slavery look like in feudal times?

I feel like i have a decent understanding of slavery in slave society like Roman times. I also feel like i understand mercantile/capitalist chattel slavery pretty well too. But, what did slavery look like under feudal times? Of course the socio-economic classes turned from slave/master to landlord/serf, but did slavery under feudalism look more like chattel slavery or roman slavery?

Ask Lemmygrad destructor_rph • Now • 100%

How do you, as a Marxist, view academia in the west?

I am in higher level education in the public university system. I used to view academia as a source of hope in society, and perhaps a progressive institution in someways, or some kind of source of hope with their supposed focus on science and research. After some years here, this "image" I had of academia has been shattered. What are your perceptions of academia and research institutions, as Marxists?

Ask Lemmygrad destructor_rph • Now • 100%

What is the difference between colonialism and imperialism?

I understand that Imperialism has a certain character that distinguishes it from Colonialism, that it exists to uphold the military export of finance capital. However, this doesn't really tell us about colonialism and how it arises, just how imperialism is different from it. Is colonialism exclusive to capitalist nations? Can it arise in socialist or even feudal nations?

Ask Lemmygrad destructor_rph • Now • 87%

What percentage of the Ukrainian SSR collaborated with Nazi Germany?

Really, I'm kind of curious if the prevalence of Neo Nazi sympathies in Ukraine a result of mass killings of communists and other citizens/soldiers/partisans by the Nazis, leaving a skewed amount of nazi collaborators? Or is this more due to left wing parties being outlawed in modern day Ukraine and having fascist elements supported by the state? The USSR probably would have punished collaboration, but what about those that weren't recorded collaborators? Are there any historical numbers from either side? I couldn't find any myself.

Ask Lemmygrad destructor_rph • Now • 100%

Was the collapse of the Mongolian People's republic due to a color revolution?

Been trying to learn about both color revolutions in recent history, as well as the Mongolian People's Republic, but both seem rather scarce on info. Was the protests that led to the collapse of the Mongolian People's Republic as big of a scam as the events that led to, for example, the USSR?

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Looking for help to understand why 'One Divides into Two' but not vice versa

I've heard that 'One Divides Into Two' as a foundational idea in Dialectical Materialism, and I feel like i understand dialectical materialism relatively well. But I'm confused as to why 'Two Combines into One' is not correct? Isn't a foundational idea of dialectical materialism how contradictions are resolved? Why isn't that the same as combining into one? And how is the resolution of contradiction a division into two? Thanks!

Ask Lemmygrad destructor_rph • Now • 100%

Potentially silly question, but are different arms of Marxism relevant to different global situations?

Is this a misguided idea? That different ideologies, such as 'vanilla' Marxist-Leninism are more applicable to more industrialized countries, or perhaps countries closer to the imperial core, while ideologies such as MLM are more applicable to the most imperialized, agragrian/feudal countries of the world?

Ask Lemmygrad destructor_rph • Now • 97%

How do you come to terms with death?

I think since having become divorced from religion (at least with Christianity, I still find Dharmic spirituality interesting, but I still don't believe in the supernatural), the idea of death has become a bit more difficult for me. I tell myself that I am okay with dying, since it's inevitable, and out of my control, but I think deep down, when I really think about the end of my existence, there is some deep terror there, perhaps related to the fear of the unknown. I can think of all kinds of fantastic quotes about death and finding peace with it, but when I think about what it will feel like to die, it instills great terror within me. It's not even a fear of the pain or anything. Just a fear of what may or may not be next. I think part of it too is some sort of fear of missing out. A fear of not getting to see the great things that are to come in this world. A fear of not having the time to learn the innumerable interesting things that there are to learn. So much to learn, and so little time. I think it also has to do with the thought of being forever separated from my loved ones. From my partner. From the person who I share my life with and have created my life with. Imagining being separated from her for an eternity, it brings me to tears. Interestingly, this is a fear I've always had, ever since I was a child. I remember being 4 or 5 years old and asking my dad what happens after death, what death feels like, where my friends will go after death, and remember him becoming almost frustrated with my questioning, because these are obviously answers he doesn't have and are honestly fairly strange thoughts for a child so young to be pondering. For some reason, death has always been something on my mind since I was a child, and a very emotional thought at that. I think my brief stint of being religious from early childhood into mid-teen years was an emotional 'band-aid' of sorts, but since I've come to the conclusion that I truly don't know what death will feel like or what will happen after death, these thoughts have again started racing through my head, giving me moderate emotional discomfort. Have any of yourselves come to term with death? How have you managed to find peace with it besides "just don't think about it"?

GenZhou destructor_rph • Now • 100%

Are there any good readings that fuse marxism and systems theory?

I don't know how to explain it, but since I've been studying Dialectical Materialism (and mindfulness too, but may not be as related), I've had this intense feeling/emotion/thought pattern that's been emerging that I've had a tough time putting words to. I've done lots of research into the idea and talked to a lot of people, and I think it's a fuzzy sense of interconnectedness that's being given to me by this radical shift in cognition that I've had over these past couple years. Just really noticing and feeling the complex interconnection between everything in the world, and the patterns that make up the world, and how everything in the world is interdependent on everything else in the world and trying to observe that structure of the world we live in. I feel like i've never had this kind of nuance in my thinking before, and I like it, despite the occasional bouts of anxiety it causes. The closest fields of study that I've found, besides marxism/dialectical materialism of course, has been Systems Theory. In my research, some computing/math topics like recursion and fractals have also appeared, but I've yet to figure out their relevance, besides just being types of patterns. A couple of neuroscience topics cropped up as well, but, again, not sure the relevance, so I want to start with looking at the crossover in theory between Marxism-Leninism and Systems Theory. I'm decently familiar with ML, just been reading through the recommendations on the ML Reading Hub site, but I have literally zero experience with Systems Theory, however, I would love to learn, if you have any recommendations. Or if you think I sound like I'm losing my mind, that's also valid lol, I sort of feel that way while typing this out and just being like "it's all connected man!!!". Thanks for any responses, regardless lol.

GenZhou destructor_rph • Now • 100%

So, what's the actual deal with the Panchen Lama?

You hear all kinds of stuff in the west that the CPC has kidnapped him and he hasn't been seen since, which seems pretty sensationalist to me. What's the actual deal with that situation?