The Science and Passion of Communism : Selected Writings of Amadeo Bordiga

Historical Materialism #209

by Amadeo Bordiga, Pietro Basso (Editor), Giacomo Donis (Translator)

The Science and Passion of Communism presents the battles of the brilliant Italian communist Amadeo Bordiga in the revolutionary cycle of the post-WWI period, through his writings against reformism and war, for Soviet power and internationalism, and then against fascism, on one side, Stalinism and the degeneration of the International, on the other.

Equally important was his sharp critique of triumphant U.S. capitalism in the post-WWII period, and his original re-presentation of Marxist critique of political economy, which includes the capital-nature and capital-species relationships, and the programme of social transformations for the revolution to come.

Without any form of canonization, we can say that Bordiga’s huge workshop is a veritable goldmine, and anyone who decides to enter it will not be disappointed. He will guide you through a series of instructive, energizing and often highly topical excursions into the near and distant past, into the present that he largely foresaw, and into the future that he sketched with devouring passion.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics, History

540 pages, Hardcover

Published August 10, 2020

About the author

Amadeo Bordiga was an Italian Marxist, a contributor to Communist theory, the founder of the Communist Party of Italy, a leader of the Communist International and, after World War II, leading figure of the International Communist Party.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to see a big, mostly well translated collection of Bordiga's writings. The actual selection is a bit disappointing, as it includes many articles already translated and published. It is also is not the most interesting selection. I would have liked to see a lot more of the 'thread of time' articles.

[Alvaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The goat of Marxism and lasagna

[Ben F · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I struggle with some of Bordiga's theses, specifically those relating to organisational form of the party (as in organic centralism) and the semi-rejection of the united front tactic, his analysis of post-war capitalism is as valuable as the excerpts of his pre-war work in the 3rd International. Bordiga expertly exposes Stalinism, a critique so sharp it has rendered my own view of post 1923 Russia far more critical.

In his post-war works, his writing becomes more and more eccentric in style, but I got used to it after a while and got quite a few chuckles out of his caustic polemic.

Besso should've elaborated more on the fate of the organisations Bordiga later joined. Instead of a personal biography, a deeper exploration of the Italian Left would've been more interesting to me, personally. But I won't hold that against this book, since it sets out with the intention of focusing on Bordiga explicitly.

Bordiga's greatest contribution to the movement has to be his iron will in relating all current tactical decisions to the ultimate goal of a communist party. By constantly repeating that communism is the objective and capital the enemy, he does away with many opportunist illusions (e.g. peaceful coexistence with the West). As he analyzed correctly himself, what we need is a return to the classics. And he (poetically and gently, one might add) beats the reader over the head with them until they submit to marxism.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of Bordiga's work, divided both chronologically and thematically. Though I don't agree with everything Bordiga is saying, he is a great writer that, in his fight against revisionism and opportunism, never lets his foot off the gas; his writing is always clear and striking. His post-war writings seem a little more eccentric and poetic, but the subjects he writes and how he writes about them is no less important.
It seems only fitting that the last chapter of the book is concerned with the Party's activity when the historical situation is unfavourable. It puts into opposition the pre-war Bordiga that, from his writings, seemed a practical, quick thinker, with the post-war Bordiga, that seemed more concerned with repeating of Marx's words, constantly battling to hammer home the point that everything he is saying had been already said.

[Vanrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bordiga was accurate about how the long term of capitalism would play out and how the communist movements at the time would as well. Wrong in strategy, correct in theory. Pretty much Bordiga for you. I would argue that Gramsci and Bordiga could have settled their differences potentially and history could have played out differently, but we will never know. Also Bordiga dismantling Stalinism to Stalin's face is just gold.

[C. Varn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not necessarily a Bordigist, but the historical introduction is one of the better bits of Bordigists scholarship that exist. One also gets a good sample of Bordiga's writing in its historical context with clearer translations than that which is often available or in the Radical Reprints editions. That said, there is still a lot of Bordiga's work that is not in here.

[Erwan Moysan · Rating 4 out of 5]

See what I have to say here: https://marxandphilosophy.org.uk/revi...

[Orion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read basically everything but Dialogue of Stalin