Is there such a thing as good and evil? Who decides, and why? Why is there so much suffering and cruelty in our society, and how can we end this? Daniel Morley will discuss all of these questions in the final episode of the series. Want to learn more about philosophy? Pre-order your copy of Alan Woods' upcoming book 'History of Philosophy: A Marxist Perspective' today: https://www.marxist.com/hop Get involved with Socialist Appeal today! Join - https://www.socialist.net/join Donate - https://ww...
Sep 01, 2021•24 min
What is causation? Is the universe determined and predictable? And where does that leave humanity, with its notions of free will and moral responsibility? And how does this affect our role as revolutionaries? Want to learn more about philosophy? Pre-order your copy of Alan Woods' upcoming book 'History of Philosophy: A Marxist Perspective' today: https://www.marxist.com/hop Get involved with Socialist Appeal today! Join - https://www.socialist.net/join Donate - https://www.socialist.net/donate...
Aug 25, 2021•25 min
Thought is inherently about generalisation and universals. It takes us beyond the immediacy of the here and now, and links things. This contradiction - between part and whole, individual and type - is at the heart of philosophy’s deepest problems. The need to grasp reality as a complex whole, instead of as atomised, self-contained parts, is likewise one of the deepest problems for science. Want to learn more about philosophy? Pre-order your copy of Alan Woods' upcoming book 'History of Philosoph...
Aug 18, 2021•24 min
If we want to understand how things change, we must understand things as self-moving, rather than seeing all change as a result of external forces. But how does matter move itself? How and why does development take place in nature? Daniel Morley will answer all of these questions in this week's episode of the ABCs of Marxist philosophy. Want to learn more about philosophy? Pre-order your copy of Alan Woods' upcoming book 'History of Philosophy: A Marxist Perspective' today: https://www.marxist.c...
Aug 11, 2021•26 min
Jorge Martin, editor for In Defence of Marxism, appeared on Rupture Radio talking about the Cuban Revolution, the recent protests that have broken out in the country, the imperialist blockade, and the tasks facing revolutionaries. You can listen to the entire thought-provoking discussion here. This is a reposted episode from the Rupture Radio podcast in Ireland. (https://anchor.fm/ruptureradio). Both the Rupture Radio podcast and Rupture Magazine (https://rupture.ie) are produced by members of R...
Aug 06, 2021•59 min
Marxist logic is dialectical, not formal. That means its starting point is change and contradiction - all truths become untruths because all that exists will perish. But how do we use logic to understand change? How do things change? Want to learn more about philosophy? Pre-order your copy of Alan Woods' upcoming book 'History of Philosophy: A Marxist Perspective' today: https://www.marxist.com/hop Get involved with Socialist Appeal today! Join - https://www.socialist.net/join Donate - https://...
Aug 04, 2021•22 min
Logic is usually seen as a dry, boring discipline suitable only for pedants. This is because it is traditionally seen as having no relation to the real world of objects, and is instead a self-contained system of rules for thought. Marxism completely rejects this formalism and seeks to find the basis for our logic in this real world. Subscribe to the newly re-launched In Defence of Marxism theoretical magazine to learn more about the revolutionary ideas of Marxism: https://www.socialist.net/subsc...
Jul 28, 2021•27 min
Join Rob Sewell and Adam Booth to discuss the Labour right's plan to kick Socialist Appeal supporters out of the Labour party, and why the left must organise to fight back against this direct political attack. #FightThePurge Get involved with Socialist Appeal today! Join - https://www.socialist.net/join Donate - https://www.socialist.net/donate Subscribe - https://www.socialist.net/subscribe Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Soundcloud: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SocialistAppe...
Jul 21, 2021•47 min
Are humans greedy or selfish? Do we have a soul or an essence? Is there a way that we should live, one more true than how we live now? And how does this relate to the question of knowledge and thought? Subscribe to the newly re-launched In Defence of Marxism theoretical magazine to learn more about the revolutionary ideas of Marxism: https://www.socialist.net/subscribe-idom.htm Get involved with Socialist Appeal today! Join - https://www.socialist.net/join Donate - https://www.socialist.net/don...
Jul 21, 2021•28 min
The question of idealism versus materialism most frequently expresses itself in the question of knowledge. Do we know anything for certain, and if so, how? And why has this question stubbornly persisted throughout the history of philosophy? Subscribe to the newly re-launched In Defence of Marxism theoretical magazine to learn more about the revolutionary ideas of Marxism: https://www.socialist.net/subscribe-idom.htm Get involved with Socialist Appeal today! Join - https://www.socialist.net/join...
Jul 14, 2021•25 min
There are many ways to categorise philosophy, but at the most fundamental level, all philosophies are either idealist or materialist. Marxist philosophy is fundamentally materialist, that is to say, it believes the material universe is the only universe, and that mind is a product of it. Subscribe to the newly re-launched In Defence of Marxism theoretical magazine to learn more about the revolutionary ideas of Marxism: https://www.socialist.net/subscribe-idom.htm Get involved with Socialist Appe...
Jul 07, 2021•23 min
In this podcast, Adam Booth discusses the demand for a universal basic income. The idea of a UBI is commonly raised in the context of increasing automation and the threat of "technological unemployment", which is making many existing workers obsolete from the point of view of the capitalist system. But, as Adam explains, UBI is not a solution to the problems facing society in relation to technology and its impact on jobs and wages - the "race against the machine". Instead, Marxists should be dem...
Jun 30, 2021•45 min
In this podcast, Daniel Morley discusses the idea of workers' democracy, contrasting this with the formal democracy that we have under capitalism, and explaining the ways in which the working class can take control of the wider economy. Providing historical examples, Daniel shows how the working class can take power in order to run society in the interests of the many, rather than for the profits of the few. Get involved with Socialist Appeal today! Join - https://www.socialist.net/join Donate ...
Jun 23, 2021•58 min
In this podcast, Ben Curry provides an in-depth history of the contrasting philosophies of idealism and materialism - two fundamental trends in philosophy, which have re-appeared in various forms throughout the history of human thought. Marxism basis itself on a materialist outlook, which understands the material world as being an objective reality, consisting of matter in motion, governed by dynamics that are knowable and discoverable. Idealism, in its different guises, asserts that ideas and t...
Jun 16, 2021•47 min
In this talk from 2016, Hamid Alizadeh of In Defence of Marxism discusses the history of philosophy in Ancient Greece, looking at the early developments in terms of dialectics and materialism - the foundations to the revolutionary philosophy of Marxism: dialectical materialism. Get involved with Socialist Appeal today! Join - https://www.socialist.net/join Donate - https://www.socialist.net/donate Subscribe - https://www.socialist.net/subscribe Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Soun...
Jun 09, 2021•50 min
In this talk from the Revolution Festival in 2016, Ben Curry gives an overview of the historical development of scientific theories and the philosophical ideas that lie behind some of the biggest scientific revolutions in history. As Ben discusses, the latest developments and discoveries in modern science are a vindication of the Marxist philosophy of dialectical materialism. Get involved with Socialist Appeal today! Join - https://www.socialist.net/join Donate - https://www.socialist.net/donat...
Jun 02, 2021•50 min
The May elections were a disaster for the Labour party. But, rather than taking responsibility for this defeat, Starmer and the right have used this as an opportunity to scapegoat the left, and drag the party further to the right. In this podcast, Adam Booth argues that if we want to change the direction of Labour, we need to remove Starmer and transform the party from top to bottom, by putting grassroots members in charge, Only then can the Labour party take on the Tories and the bosses with so...
May 26, 2021•43 min
What is consciousness? How does it arise? Where do our thoughts come from? And how do the mind and the material world relate to one another? In this recording of a talk given in 2014, Daniel Morley looks at the question of consciousness from a Marxist perspective and analyses one of the most complex of phenomena in nature - thought itself. Get involved with Socialist Appeal today! Join - https://www.socialist.net/join Donate - https://www.socialist.net/donate Subscribe - https://www.socialist....
May 19, 2021•1 hr 16 min
In this podcast, Daniel Morley discusses the accusations of 'fatalism' levelled at Marxism by its enemies. Ironically, it is Marx's accusers who would make human beings passive victims of fate. They say that Marxism is a 'teleological' theory, according to which all of human history is preordained. They even accuse Marxism of being a religion, with the role of God replaced by iron laws of history, leaving no role for active, conscious human beings to change history. This is, of course, a caricat...
May 12, 2021•56 min
Postmodernism is a trend in philosophy that has become mainstream, and heavily influences identity politics. But when we ask the question 'what is postmodernism?', we are often told that it is indefinable. Indeed it can be summed up as a philosophy that rejects theory, science and the idea of progress. In this podcast, Hamid Alizadeh of In Defence of Marxism explains why this philosophy is wrong and reactionary; and how the 'old' ideas of Marxism are far more relevant. Get involved with Socialis...
May 05, 2021•43 min
How do we acquire knowledge, and how reliable is it? Is there a real world beyond our senses, or is each of us an isolated atom? Can we really understand the workings of society and change it for the better? In his podcast, Alan Woods - editor of In Defence of Marxism - mounts a defence of materialism against the trends of subjective idealism, such as positivism and postmodernism, that deny the possibility of objective and scientific knowledge about the world and society.
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 6 min
In this podcast, Niklas Albin Svensson – editor of marxist.com – sets out a Marxist analysis of the history and nature of fascism: what it is; what it isn’t; and how the labour movement can smash fascist and far-right groups wherever they emerge. The crisis of capitalism has shaken and polarised society all over the world. While thousands of workers and youth are taking to the streets against austerity and oppression, far-right and openly fascist groups of thugs and extremists have also risen in...
Apr 21, 2021•51 min
In this podcast, Joe Russell explains the history of the Levellers and the Diggers, and discusses what we can learn from these heroic revolutionary movements to help us in the struggle for socialism today.Over 350 years ago, the masses in England turned the world upside down, carrying out one of the first of the bourgeois revolutions. This shows how English history – contrary to the story we are constantly told – is not one glorious, uninterrupted march of conservative progress and moderation. I...
Apr 14, 2021•45 min
In this podcast, Ben Curry explains the Marxist understanding of the role played by individuals in history – and the role that we must play today. History is commonly taught as little more than the deeds of great men, who alone possess the ability to make history. Marxism rejects this view, and instead sees the development of society and great events as subject to objective processes, which often act behind the backs of the people taking part in them. But does this mean that the actions, ideas, ...
Apr 08, 2021•48 min
In this podcast, Olivia Ruadh explains why it is the capitalist system that is to blame for climate change – and why we need to fight for a clear socialist solution. With the huge youth strikes for climate internationally in recent years, the environmental movement became a real mass movement. The slogan of these protests – ‘for system change, not climate change – indicated a clear revolutionary mood amongst activists. Whilst more and more people are drawing direct links between the climate cata...
Apr 01, 2021•45 min
In this podcast, Shaun Morris of the Revolution editorial board, will examine the lessons and legacy of the Irish independence struggle – an understanding of which is essential for revolutionary Marxists fighting for a socialist united Ireland today. One hundred years ago, Ireland was in the midst of a revolutionary war for independence from Britain. As Britain’s oldest colony, Ireland was the testing ground for the brutal policies that the British ruling class applied across the Empire. The ter...
Mar 24, 2021•35 min
In this podcast, Jules Legendre from Révolution - the French section of the International Marxist Tendency - explains what the Paris Commune was, and the lessons that revolutionaries must draw from it today. For two months between March and May 1871 the armed workers of Paris, surrounded by enemies on all sides, took their destiny into their own hands and demonstrated that it is possible for the workers to run society democratically, without capitalists, bankers or even a standing army. In his b...
Mar 22, 2021•44 min
In this talk from yesterday's meeting on how to end violence against women, we were joined by Natasha Sorrell, an NEU activist and Socialist Appeal supporter, and Karen Campos, an activist in Izquierda Socialista (IMT - Mexico)and the Liga de Mujeres Revolucionarias. Both Natasha and Karen emphasised that it is only by abolishing capitalism that we can begin to build a society free from oppression and violence. "Killed by the system we're told 'protects' us.” These were the striking words on one...
Mar 17, 2021•40 min
In this podcast, James Kilby analyses the Great Depression, a period of crisis that many have compared to the present situation. In both cases, however, it is clear that these crises are not 'accidental', but a necessary product of capitalism's incurable contradictions. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a deep economic collapse. The world stands on the verge of a new depression. We must therefore look to the past to understand the present – and the future. The Wall Street Crash was the spark f...
Mar 11, 2021•48 min
In this talk from our international women's day event, Laurie explains where women's oppression comes from and what we can do to end it. Marxists understand that women's oppression has not existed forever. Rather, it arose with the rise of class society, which alongside subordinating the majority of people to the will of a few exploiters, also resulted in the origins of the family and the oppression and exploitation from women. This historical understanding of oppression is crucial - contrary to...
Mar 08, 2021•39 min
