The 12th of October was marked by the Communist Day School on revolutionary philosophy organised by the Dublin group of the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland. A consistent revolutionary philosophy stands at the core of a Marxist arsenal, and comrades spent 7 hours sharpening up this most vital weapon! Comrades came from around the country including Dublin, Meath, Sligo and Belfast to take part in the day of discussions – making for a total of 18 people in attendance.
Comrades were filled with enthusiasm about our revolutionary fight against the capitalist system, and spent the day discussing dialectical materialism, its relevance today, and the need for a workers’ revolution.
Such was the thirst for ideas, that we raised about 120 euros in literature sales – plus a further 80 euros were donated towards our fighting fund. Finally, on the back of the amazing day of activity, a new person decided to join the forces of the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland on the spot!
Worldwide Crisis, War and Revolution
The Communist Day School of Philosophy opened with a discussion on Perspectives for World Revolution.
Capitalism is in its deepest and most widespread crisis in its history. Imperialist wars are back on the agenda across the world. The Gaza death toll is likely to exceed 186,000 people due to the cumulative effects of Israel’s genocide.
Last month, the US, the largest imperialist power that exists today, signed off on an $8.7 billion “aid package” to Israel to continue its genocide. Millions of ordinary working-class people pay with their lives in these wars initiated by the capitalist class – in the Middle East and all around the world.
The World Food Programme has estimated that 23.4 million people are facing starvation in the Congo. 12 million people have been displaced in Sudan since last year, and 25 million people – half of Sudan’s population! – stand on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.
Yet the ruling classes continue to live in splendour, sign off on arms sales, and, at best, shed some crocodile tears over these ‘humanitarian crises’ they themselves have created, and handsomely profit from. It is clear that the capitalist system is not interested in the welfare of workers and youth, but only the private interests of the elite few.
The worldwide crisis of capitalism has been chipping away the living standards of working-class families for more than a decade and half. But since 2021 it has taken a qualitative turn for the worset.
This year, 230,000 children in the South of Ireland are facing material deprivation – a shocking 1 in 5! And this deprivation is not confined to the shores of Ireland, but it is happening in capitalist countries all over the world. The housing crisis is spiralling out of control. We have over 15,000 homeless people, and tens of thousands of adults in their 30s and 40s are forever trapped in their parents’ home. It is a class war, waged by big business and capitalists against the majority, in order to preserve their profits.
Climate change is no longer a threat of the future. It is here right now, and its extreme disasters and their impacts, such as famine and drought, are causing the suffering and death of millions of people all around the world. The fight against climate change and the fight for socialism go hand in hand. The capitalists and their political representatives are unwilling and unable to carry out the radical changes that are necessary to stop the utter destruction of our planet. They continue to pollute and destroy the environment for the sake of profit.
Comrades discussed the need for the working class to seize the assets of the monopolies (who are the biggest polluters) and place their resources under democratic workers’ management. Under socialism, we would be able to democratically and sustainably manage development and production, and be able to improve the living conditions of the working class in harmony with the planet.
The task of communists is not to weep nor laugh but to understand. A discussion on perspectives is essential for revolutionaries to guide ourselves in the class struggle and to understand the development of revolutionary consciousness in the working class. In fact, side by side with the increase in wars, horrors and misery, we see a whole new generation of class fighters drawing revolutionary conclusions.
In the last couple of years, revolutionary situations have erupted in country after country. In the advanced capitalist countries, the working class has begun to shake off decades of inactivity and shown its true power in many strike waves. Hundreds of thousands and millions all around the world are even moving in the direction of communism! The task of communists today is to organise the revolutionary youth under the banner of revolutionary communism and prepare for the battles ahead. No power on Earth will be able to stop us then.
Capitalism in crisis will only bring us further war and poverty. But there is no rational need for any of it. There is plenty of food, natural resources, homes, etc. for every human on this planet. Capitalism is not able to progress us any further as a species. Millions of people lose their lives due to capitalism every single year. It is time to fight for the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and to transform society along socialist lines!
The History of Philosophy
The second session of the day covered the history of philosophy from a Marxist perspective. The struggle for socialism is not confined to politics and economics, but as Engels explained it must be carried out also on the theoretical plane. Philosophy is a way of thinking – not day to day thinking, but rather attempts to understand fundamental truths about ourselves, the world we live in, life and death, the universe and morality.
The earliest human groups were small, nomadic hunter-gatherers which emerged more than 2 million years ago. They depended on their environment for survival. Domestication of plants and animals for agriculture developed 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, alongside with the first villages. With this there was the beginning of the first class societies, particularly in the Middle East and Egypt. Then there were the slave societies of Ancient Greece and Rome, the feudal system in Europe and finally capitalism.
Philosophy has evolved as human society has developed and alongside our understanding of the world and science. From the brilliant philosophical intuitions of the early Greek philosophers, through the obscurantism of the Scholastics, and the revolutionary work of Hegel, the whole history of philosophy has been a struggle between two viewpoints: philosophical materialism and philosophical idealism.
Materialism posits that the material world – matter – is prior, and that everything from the universe is made from or is a product of matter, including consciousness and thoughts. Idealism posits the opposite. Marxist philosophy is based precisely on materialism, and takes from the progressive core of all the previous philosophies to develop dialectical materialism.
While developing the means of production, all class societies are based on the oppression of the majority from a tiny minority of the population. With this there also comes a monopoly of the ruling classes in terms of science, art, culture and philosophy.
For thousands of years, the masses have been shut off from the gates of culture. And the minds of most men and women have been mainly absorbed by their daily struggle for existence. A socialist revolution would not destroy the achievements of capitalism, including in the realm of culture and science, but would put them at the service of all men and women. How many potential Einsteins have lived and died in the cotton fields and sweatshops, unnoticed and viciously exploited until death? Imagine the leaps and bounds that humanity could make if everyone had proper nutrition and shelter, access to educational opportunities, the necessary free time etc. As Trotsky put it:
“It is difficult to predict the extent of self-government which the man of the future may reach or the heights to which he may carry his technique. Social construction and psycho-physical self-education will become two aspects of one and the same process. All the arts – literature, drama, painting, music and architecture will lend this process beautiful form. More correctly, the shell in which the cultural construction and self-education of Communist man will be enclosed, will develop all the vital elements of contemporary art to the highest point. Man will become immeasurably stronger, wiser and subtler; his body will become more harmonized, his movements more rhythmic, his voice more musical. The forms of life will become dynamically dramatic. The average human type will rise to the heights of an Aristotle, a Goethe, or a Marx. And above this ridge new peaks will rise.”
The Struggle against Alien-Class Ideas: Marxism vs Postmodernism
The third and final session of the day discussed the hard boundary between Marxism and the various alien-class ideas that are based on philosophical idealism and that today infect the labour movement, in particular postmodernism. Postmodernism is quite an unstructured philosophical school of thought that began in the second half of the 20th century, and its ideas are largely produced by bourgeois academia.
Postmodernism essentially denies the idea that there are absolute truths related to humans and their societies, and argues that there is only subjectivism. Many postmodernists even explicitly reject the idea of an objective reality, scientific or historical truth as well as the notion of progress in history, claiming that the development of science and philosophy does not progress forward, but rather there are only different ways of interpreting the world. At its root, it is an idealist philosophy reflecting the distilled pessimism of the petty bourgeoisie at a time of deep crisis of the capitalist system.
In contrast, Marxism is based on a scientific analysis that our present society behaves according to historical laws, that can be studied and understood. Looking at the past, it is clear to see that there have been advancements in medicine, science, philosophy, art, technology, and not just ‘different perspectives’. Postmodernism instead focuses on the individual experience. From this perspective, how is it possible to understand – never mind change – society?
Postmodernism also lies at the bottom of identity politics. Marxists need to be at the forefront of the struggle against oppression, in all its form. We understand that sexism, racism, homophobia etc. all have an objective origin in class society. But identity politics, being at the bottom based on the postmodernist ‘way of thinking’ is unable to explain oppression – let alone bring up a consistent fight against it. Either consciously or otherwise, postmodernism undermines the unity and consciousness of the working class.
Instead of dividing the oppressed into groups that must fight only for their own rights, we must unite the proletariat against their common oppressors and create a world where every human being is truly equal.
Revolution
The Communist Day school was a huge success. Everyone attending came out enthused by the ideas, and with a greater determination to fight to build a revolutionary organisation and for the socialist revolution!
The cracks in world capitalism are continuing to radicalise workers and youth. More and more people are looking to the left for ideas, and coming to revolutionary conclusions.
The Revolutionary Communists of Ireland, together with our international organisation the Revolutionary Communist International, is growing in quality and quantity by the day – and days like this give comrades the energy to continue fighting for genuine communism.
Join the Revolutionary Communists of Ireland today, and get involved in the fight against this oppressive system!
