i can do some amount of reading, but when it comes to reading something like Das Kapital, my eyes glaze over

i can't be the only one who has this struggle. besides developing the practice of reading widely and deeply, what are some ways we can help ourselves to become the critical thinkers necessary for revolutionary work?

we can talk about tips/experiences like:

  • getting your vision checked
  • an adhd diagnosis
  • reward structures
  • joining book clubs
  • note taking strategies
  • etc

in essence, is there theory for "reading theory"?

  • JoeySteel [comrade/them]
    ·
    4 years ago

    You should treat Capital vol1 2 and 3 as reference books rather than attempting to read them start to finish. Want to understand what surplus value is? Go to the index and look up surplus value then read everywhere its mentioned. Want to understand price go to the index etc.

    Though if you're going to read them start to finish understand what Marx is doing..... he is taking each piece out of the Capitalist system and showing it to you like a piece from a car and explaining how it works whilst also explaining how it cannot work eg. this steering wheel cannot possibly be an exhaust because there is no piping to push out the fumes etc

    If you were to read a car manual to understand how a car works it would inevitably be boring....But you would still want to know what the function of your radiator and wheels is

    I don't really think you should read capital until you have read a Selected works copies which have been laid out correctly and broken up to show what Marx and Engels philosophical world outlook was. These are laid out in such a way that they are entertaining with Marx giving a detailed historical materialist analysis of the Civil War In France and the 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte

    Selected works in 2 volumes I recommend (though get physical copies of them if you can)

    Vol 1 https://archive.org/details/swmarxengels1/page/589/mode/2up

    Vol 2 https://archive.org/details/swmarxengels2/page/493/mode/2up

    And again whilst these can be read quite pleasurably from start to finish but you can still use them as textbooks to search in the index to see what they say on the nature of the State, the Dictatorship of the proletariat, commodities, industry etc.

    • Randomdog [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      he is taking each piece out of the Capitalist system and showing it to you like a piece from a car and explaining how it works whilst also explaining how it cannot work eg. this steering wheel cannot possibly be an exhaust because there is no piping to push out the fumes etc

      Holy shit. Saved. You just used one sentence to explain what would have taken me 6 hours to articulate.