A Review of Jared Diamond's 'The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?'
Submitted by Lyceum on Jan 7 2013 20:22
(First published in the Times Higher Education Supplement)
On human nature
Submitted by AnarchoDoom on Oct 21 2012 13:49
Arguments I see time and time again against left-wing politics include “human nature will get in the way” or “it ignores human nature”. Recently I’ve even seen this argument trotted out by people on the left, that any future system must “take human nature into account”. It’s fairly clear what is meant here without asking too many questions. Human beings are selfish. Human beings only work in their own self-interest and that this is natural. But I believe this to be wrong. This blog post will hopefully explain why.
I wrote this about a year ago following a conversation on Twitter. I'm reposting it here largely to get some more input on whether/how this analysis is right or wrong, so comments are welcome.
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'How Noam Chomsky’s World Works', by David Hawkes
Submitted by hedgehog on Sep 28 2012 17:08
Noam Chomsky's political writings are extremely useful for any understanding of the crimes of US imperialism. But his scientific work, whose political implications Chomsky denies, have been coming under increasing criticism from the left.
Recently an academic Marxist author managed to get an interesting critique of Chomsky into The Times Literary Supplement. It raises some interesting concerns.
HOW NOAM CHOMSKY'S WORLD WORKS by David Hawkes
Engels was Right: Early Human Kinship was Matrilineal
Submitted by hedgehog on Sep 23 2012 19:07
The earliest human institution was not the nuclear family. The latest research now indicates that it was the communistic, female-centred clan.
Engels argued this in 1884. After a century of establishment denial, including complicity by 'Marxists', it now turns out that he was right after all.
ENGELS WAS RIGHT: EARLY HUMAN KINSHIP WAS MATRILINEAL
by Chris Knight
In 2008, the Royal Anthropological Institute published a scholarly volume entitled Early Human Kinship.[1] It stemmed from a 2005 workshop held in Gregynog, Wales, as part of the prestigious British Academy Centenary Project ‘From Lucy to Language: The Archaeology of the Human Brain’.
Science reading group: 'Ever Since Darwin'
Submitted by Choccy on Aug 16 2012 13:34
Kickstarting a discussion on Stephen Jay Gould's first popular book form the late 70s, Ever Since Darwin.
A few people had expressed interest in discussing Stephen Jay Gould's book, Ever Since Darwin, as part of a science discussion/reading group. The book was Gould's first collection of essays from his monthly Natural History column.
A few general points first, then some specific ones about the first four essays that comprise the first chapter/section.
Gould's writing style
Noam Chomsky: Politics or Science?
Submitted by hedgehog on Aug 12 2012 17:24
For over fifty years, Noam Chomsky has been exposing the crimes of the United States military across the world. Less well known is the fact that throughout this time, he was working in an electronics laboratory funded primarily by that same military. This article investigates the paradox, arguing that the Pentagon’s institutional support for Chomsky’s scientific work explains the special passion driving his political stance.
Noam Chomsky: Politics or Science?
Chris Knight
Kropotkin and the scientific community in England in the 1870s and 80s
Submitted by Choccy on Apr 10 2012 02:17
A short post on a small act of solidarity from a Nature editor in the 1870s.
An act of solidarity
I hadn't come across this little bit of anarcho history before, but it's in Kropotkin's Memoirs Of A Revolutionist and Dugatkin's The Prince of Evolution. It refers to a small act of solidarity from a journal editor in England in the 1870s, and a not-so supportive act from a leading English biologist a few years later.
Chomsky in New Scientist
Submitted by Choccy on Mar 19 2012 21:36
Chomsky interview in New Scientist
Latest issue of New Scientist has an interview with Noam Chomsky on, language, human nature, social media and politics, as well as a little photo gallery.
Excerpt here, the full thing is online, you need a login, but it's free.
Review; Mutual Aid: an introduction and evaluation by Iain McKay
A review of Iain McKay's introduction and evaluation to Peter Kropotkin's Mutual Aid, reviewed by Paul Petard.
This extended essay, published in pamphlet form by AK Press, is based on research Ian McKay did for his introduction to the new Freedom Press edition of Kropotkin's Mutual Aid. It deals not only with Kropotkin's work, but also on issues in science writing in general, and encompasses Richard Dawkins, Stephen Jay Gould and Matt Ridley among others.
Marxism and Darwinism - Anton Pannekoek
1909 text by council communist Anton Pannekoek about Marxism and evolution.
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