This course will run on Sundays from 3pm to 5pm Eastern for six weeks, starting September 7.
What is dialectics? Do we need to study it just because Marx, Lenin, and Bookchin did? What does it have to do with understanding the world we actually live in?
We will take on these questions and more through this six-week introduction. Dialectical philosophy is the conceptual foundation of social ecology and Marxism alike, without which neither tradition can be properly understood. More than that, however, we make the case that dialectical thinking is an indispensable tool for understanding reality more clearly. In the most basic sense, dialectics is a philosophy of change, and it is of particular importance for those who seek to change reality: for revolutionaries.
This course will not be a slog through Hegel or dense philosophical esoterica. While we are confident that all students of these ideas will get something out of this course, it is first and foremost aimed at beginners with no prior philosophical training, with the primary goal of establishing clear-headed, practical understanding for applied use.
You should take this course if…
– You’ve heard others in radical movement spaces talk about dialectics but aren’t sure you understand what they mean (and maybe they don’t either!).
– You are a skeptic about the relevance of dialectics but are open to learning.
– You’ve got a general sense of what dialectical philosophy is all about but feel that you have some gaps in your understanding.
– You want to better understand social ecology, Marxism, Frankfurt School critical theory, or other dialectical traditions.
– You’re familiar with dialectics in a particular sense (e.g. Marx’s theory of historical materialism) but want to learn more about where these ideas came from or how else they’ve been applied.
This course is also recommended as a prerequisite for The Philosophy and Politics of Social Ecology and Frankfurt School Critical Theory.
We will establish a foundation of understanding of dialectical philosophy over six weeks through the following sessions: an introduction to what dialectical reasoning is and why it is useful, an overview of dialectical thought across a variety of premodern philosophical traditions (Hellenistic, Indian, Chinese, and Nahua), a legible breakdown of Hegel’s main ideas we need to grasp, dialectics applied to the study of history, dialectics applied to the study of nature, and lastly, what dialectics means for the pursuit of truth through deliberation and democracy. Each week will be accompanied by readings and multimedia materials. The syllabus also includes supplemental readings each week for those who want to go deeper.
This course is open to all. As with all ISE courses, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Apply for a scholarship to take Our Being Is Becoming at a free or reduced rate here.
