A Leftist Primer

A short collection of readings and thoughts.

Image Source: Brown University

The inspiration and centerpiece of this compilation is the work “Islam and Socialism” by Prof. Syed Hussein Alatas, translated by Sharifah Afra Alatas. Where necessary, I reference other pieces, each of which I attribute ad rem. While their work reflects mainly on the relationship between socialism and marxist thought to Islam, much of the foundation set forth by the authors is applicable to the broader leftist sentiment. As I am not well educated in the subject, I do not explore the relationship to the Islamic religion and its societies.

The goal of this compilation is to serve as an introduction to some of the core tenets of socialist and marxist thought. The intended audience for this piece is anyone who feels dejected by the ever present economic disparity and ongoing events following the 2024 United States Presidential election. While I do not propose any concrete solutions here, I seek to foster empathy among us hurt and provide a lens with which to view the future.

From “Islam and Socialism”

We may add here that socialism should not be rejected because of its relation to Karl Marx, the founder of dialectical materialism. Many individuals and segments of society have an aversion to Marx's ideas and Marxism. In actual fact, not all of Marx’s ideas are contrary to Islam; many important ideas developed by Marxism can contribute to the progress of our society.

The most theoretical piece in the larger leftist puzzle is that of Dialectical Materialism, I do my best here to shine some light on the subject matter. As defined by Encyclopedia Britannica: “Materialism, in philosophy, the view that all facts (including facts about the human mind and will and the course of human history) are causally dependent upon physical processes, or even reducible to them.” And, as defined by the Marxist Internet Archive: “Dialectics is the method of reasoning which aims to understand things concretely in all their movement, change and interconnection, with their opposite and contradictory sides in unity.”

I find this quote by Frederck Engles to be particularly insightful:

From “Dialectics of Nature”

Motion is the mode of existence of matter. Never anywhere has there been matter without motion, or motion without matter, nor can there be.

Change of form of motion is always a process that takes place between at least two bodies, of which one loses a definite quantity of motion of one quality (e.g. heat), while the other gains a corresponding quantity of motion of another quality (mechanical motion, electricity, chemical decomposition).

Dialectics, so-called objective dialectics, prevails throughout nature, and so-called subjective dialectics (dialectical thought), is only the reflection of the motion through opposites which asserts itself everywhere in nature, and which by the continual conflict of the opposites and their final passage into one another, or into higher forms, determines the life of nature.

Simply put, Dialectical Materialism is the understanding that the universe and our existence in it is made of matter, and study of how this matter interacts and changes overtime.

For another approach to the explanation of Dialectical Materialism, see this Reddit post

Continuing from “Islam and Socialism”

Marx is best known for his three-volume work entitled Capital (Ger. Das Kapital). There is no leading university in the world which does not teach Marx’s theories of capitalism. Marx is regarded as one of the founders of modern sociology. He was a theorist of capitalist society. Much of his writing intended to elucidate the origins, nature and consequences of the capitalist mode of production.

Capitalism can be defined as a system whereby workers or labourers sell their labour to the owners of capital. Marx believed that this situation embodies an exploitative relationship between the owners of capital and the working classes which do not own capital. The exploitation is such that the full value of the workers’ input in the production process is not returned to them in the form of their wages.

A central issue raised by Marx was the length of the working day. Wages are decided by the market in such a way that the number of hours worked creates an economic value which exceeds the wages paid by the capitalist to the worker. This surplus value is what allows capitalists to earn profits. This accumulation of surplus was defined by Marx as exploitation. Exploitation arises from the difference between the wages which are paid to workers and the actual value of the output of their labour.

Marx also discussed the alienation experienced by people living in a capitalist society. Technological developments caused workers to engage in work which was very interconnected and interdependent, and did not allow the possibility of achieving their full potential as creative and sensual beings. In a society like this, people are more connected to machines or computers than they are to their fellow human beings.

To give insight into Marx’s thinking in regards to the working day and broader alienation, I provide the following quote:

From “Theses on Feuerbach”

For as soon as the distribution of labour comes into being, each man has a particular, exclusive sphere of activity, which is forced upon him and from which he cannot escape. He is a hunter, a fisherman, a herdsman, or a critical critic, and must remain so if he does not want to lose his means of livelihood; while in communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic.

Continuing from “Islam and Socialism”

Exploitation and alienation are the two main ailments of modern capitalist society. According to Marx, the working class will eventually realise their conditions. They will understand the workings of the capitalist system. this means that they will understand their role in the creation of value, how wages are determined and that they are being exploited. Marx referred to this awareness as class consciousness. He believed that capitalism would eventually give way to a system which was more just, that is, socialism. In this respect, history has proven that Marx was wrong.

I want to conclude with a message of hope, rather than the defeat implied in the foreword of “Islam and Socialism”. The class struggle is ongoing; we have not lost the battle simply because we have not yet won. Especially recently there has been an increase in awareness of the disparity of wealth amongst the American middle class and the ultra wealthy. And, in response, there has been an increased interest around seeking education on how to combat this despair. In writing this, I seek to do my part in helping to educate.

Resources

Below are resources to help better educate yourself and others as well as how to find places to get involved.

Solidarity forever, comrades.

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