Why is everyone slagging Gramsci off ?

[Adam Rose <adam@xxxxxxxx>]

"Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will".

I think this attitude to bringing about change is helpful.
It seems to me to be on similar lines to "in order to change
reality, we have to look it in the face".

I can't see that there is anything voluntaristic about it, or
undialectical. And besides, it's only a phrase. To understand
what he meant by it, you have to look at his life.

His attitude to parliament, the peasantry etc, in contrast to
Bordiga's, was hardly undialectical. Was his role in the factory
councils with his paper "ordine nuovo" voluntaristic ? Hardly.

"Head in the clouds, feet on the ground" , as a well known revolutionary
puts it.

Adam.


Adam Rose
SWP
Manchester
UK


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