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Observations on Art and Culture, Science and Philosophy
This provocative collection of reflections and observations by Bob Avakian on art, culture, science and philosophy offers a rare treat. Excerpted from formal talks as well as more informal discussions and conversations, this collection allows the reader to experience Bob Avakian—in the process of developing his thinking and re-envisioning the communist project on a wide range of subjects, from the dictatorship of the proletariat to discussions of truth, beauty, science and imagination. This collection will provide the reader with important, fresh, and provocative insights and provoke further creative and critical thinking on art, culture, science, philosophy... and revolution.
157 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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About the author
Bob Avakian
75 books17 followers"If you don't have a poetic spirit-or at least a poetic side- it is very dangerous for you to lead a Marxist movement or be the leader of a socialist state. "
- Bob Avakian
Bob Avakian (BA) is the architect of a whole new framework of human emancipation, the new synthesis of communism, which is popularly referred to as the "new communism. " The goal of the new communism is a total revolution - the most radical revolution in human history that aims at nothing less than overcoming all forms of oppression and exploitation all over the world, a society where humanity could truly flourish. The new synthesis is based on more than 40 years of revolutionary work that BA has done critically analyzing and drawing from past revolutionary experience and theory, and a broad range of human activity and thought. It is a continuation of, but also represents a qualitative leap beyond, and in some important ways a break with, communist theory as it had been previously developed. It provides the basis--the science, the strategy, and the leadership--for an actual revolution and a radically new society on the road to real emancipation.
Bob Avakian is the Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (RCP), which he has led since its formation in 1975. He emerged as a major political figure throughout the upheavals and rebellions of the period of the '60s: awakening to political life in the period of the emerging discontent and ferment among students in the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley; joining and then becoming a leader of the resistance and protests against the Vietnam War; becoming an early and prominent supporter of the Black Liberation struggle where he was closely associated with the Black Panther Party; then playing a critical leading role in the political and ideological struggles of the New Left Movement of the 1960s, which ultimately led to the founding of the RCP. In the decades since the 1960s BA has given decisive leadership to the theoretical as well as strategic and practical dimensions of the revolution, both in the U.S. and internationally.
BA’s extensive body of work includes more than a hundred articles, books, films and audio recordings. His collected works are available through The Bob Avakian Institute, http://thebobavakianinstitute.org.
The above is excerpted from “Bob Avakian (BA)–Official Biography,” a publication of The Bob Avakian Institute.
- Bob Avakian
Bob Avakian (BA) is the architect of a whole new framework of human emancipation, the new synthesis of communism, which is popularly referred to as the "new communism. " The goal of the new communism is a total revolution - the most radical revolution in human history that aims at nothing less than overcoming all forms of oppression and exploitation all over the world, a society where humanity could truly flourish. The new synthesis is based on more than 40 years of revolutionary work that BA has done critically analyzing and drawing from past revolutionary experience and theory, and a broad range of human activity and thought. It is a continuation of, but also represents a qualitative leap beyond, and in some important ways a break with, communist theory as it had been previously developed. It provides the basis--the science, the strategy, and the leadership--for an actual revolution and a radically new society on the road to real emancipation.
Bob Avakian is the Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (RCP), which he has led since its formation in 1975. He emerged as a major political figure throughout the upheavals and rebellions of the period of the '60s: awakening to political life in the period of the emerging discontent and ferment among students in the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley; joining and then becoming a leader of the resistance and protests against the Vietnam War; becoming an early and prominent supporter of the Black Liberation struggle where he was closely associated with the Black Panther Party; then playing a critical leading role in the political and ideological struggles of the New Left Movement of the 1960s, which ultimately led to the founding of the RCP. In the decades since the 1960s BA has given decisive leadership to the theoretical as well as strategic and practical dimensions of the revolution, both in the U.S. and internationally.
BA’s extensive body of work includes more than a hundred articles, books, films and audio recordings. His collected works are available through The Bob Avakian Institute, http://thebobavakianinstitute.org.
The above is excerpted from “Bob Avakian (BA)–Official Biography,” a publication of The Bob Avakian Institute.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 15, 2015
I swear I walked into this book with open arms. I really tried to give it a chance.
I gave up reading after 77 pages.
I read the first section (the whole book is split in sections with little headers that deal with a particular subject), and thought, "wow, this guy knows what he's talking about." Avakian seemed to understand Platonic thinking, and he had ideas about where art fit into the communist world. Also, he talked about the search for truth in a communist world.
Then I read the next section. and the next. Avakian simply repeated the ideas from the first chapter over and over again, sometimes blatantly, and sometimes using confusing, stilted language (BA, please stop saying "rupture with these ideas"). Here are the three ideas presented in the first section that you will read again and again:
1. Communists are concerned with the search for THE REAL truth. Communists must not manipulate reality to fit their ideas.
2. Human beings need art for the sake of art, and we must encourage art that isn't just propaganda art. (Same for science and philosophy).
3. SOLID CORE WITH ELASTICITY. This is capitalized because it was emphasized and restated constantly. Often, he would start talking about something else and then just circle back to this again. I read it the first time and thought it was smart, but I was always waiting for him to elaborate on what the core values of communism are vs. the elastic.
I gave up reading after 77 pages.
I read the first section (the whole book is split in sections with little headers that deal with a particular subject), and thought, "wow, this guy knows what he's talking about." Avakian seemed to understand Platonic thinking, and he had ideas about where art fit into the communist world. Also, he talked about the search for truth in a communist world.
Then I read the next section. and the next. Avakian simply repeated the ideas from the first chapter over and over again, sometimes blatantly, and sometimes using confusing, stilted language (BA, please stop saying "rupture with these ideas"). Here are the three ideas presented in the first section that you will read again and again:
1. Communists are concerned with the search for THE REAL truth. Communists must not manipulate reality to fit their ideas.
2. Human beings need art for the sake of art, and we must encourage art that isn't just propaganda art. (Same for science and philosophy).
3. SOLID CORE WITH ELASTICITY. This is capitalized because it was emphasized and restated constantly. Often, he would start talking about something else and then just circle back to this again. I read it the first time and thought it was smart, but I was always waiting for him to elaborate on what the core values of communism are vs. the elastic.
July 8, 2008
Avakian seems to put more emphasis here on sloganeering and vigorous gesturing than on genuinely novel observation and in-depth analysis. Many of the pieces get repetitive when the book is read cover-to-cover, and most are simply excerpts and vignettes from longer speeches.
That said, the general thrust of the book has some merit. The emphasis on engagement with critics (and on self-criticism) and the willingness to rethink the legacies of Mao, Stalin, etc. (in a nuanced way that avoids the usual Manichean generalizations) are both commendable appropriations of the Althusserian and independent Western Marxist legacies. (Althusser in particular seems to be a big--unacknowledged--influence; see in particular Avakian's [somewhat clumsy] use of the Bachelardian term "epistemological break"...)
That said, the general thrust of the book has some merit. The emphasis on engagement with critics (and on self-criticism) and the willingness to rethink the legacies of Mao, Stalin, etc. (in a nuanced way that avoids the usual Manichean generalizations) are both commendable appropriations of the Althusserian and independent Western Marxist legacies. (Althusser in particular seems to be a big--unacknowledged--influence; see in particular Avakian's [somewhat clumsy] use of the Bachelardian term "epistemological break"...)
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November 7, 2023Avakian, Maoist bir Amerikalı. ABD'deki Devrimci Komünist Partisi kurucularından ve uzun yıllardır partinin genel başkanı. İlginçtir Maoist bir devrimci olarak Amerika'nın yapıp ettiklerine yönelik eleştirel tutum içerisindeki Avakian, aynı zamanda Mao'nun mirasını reddetmek ile suçladığı Çin Halk Cumhuriyet'ine de karşı bir duruş sergiliyor. Öyle ki Ocak 1979'da Çin Devlet Başkanı Deng Şiaoping'in ABD ziyareti ve Başkan Jimmy Carter ile görüşmesini protesto etmek için Washington, D.C.'de düzenlenen bir gösteride bir polis memuruna saldırmakla suçlandı, tutuklandı, kefaletle serbest bırakıldı ve ardından Fransa'ya kaçtı.
Avakian, içinden geldiği geleneğin usta bir temsilcisi. Tıpkı kendine örnek aldığı Stalin ve Mao gibi kültürden bilime, sanattan felsefeye, politika da dahil çok geniş bir konu skalasında düşünülmüş, tartışılmış, yorumlanmış pek çok fikri var. Onları partisinin kimi genç, kimi yaşlı militanlarıyla uzun toplantılarda konuşuyor. Bu kitaptaki metinler de Avakian'ın düşüncelerinden derlenmiş.
Avakian, içinden geldiği geleneğin usta bir temsilcisi. Tıpkı kendine örnek aldığı Stalin ve Mao gibi kültürden bilime, sanattan felsefeye, politika da dahil çok geniş bir konu skalasında düşünülmüş, tartışılmış, yorumlanmış pek çok fikri var. Onları partisinin kimi genç, kimi yaşlı militanlarıyla uzun toplantılarda konuşuyor. Bu kitaptaki metinler de Avakian'ın düşüncelerinden derlenmiş.
March 20, 2007
Bob Avakian is best described as a vainglorious loudmouth who poses as a Marxist thinker. This skinny little book is a minor waste of time, evidently transcribed from innumerable "talks" Avakian gives to followers.
November 1, 2014
I want to love Avakian, but I just can't. Book is a waste of time. :(
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews