Schopenhauer's pessimism, Camus's absurdism, optimistic nihilism? I am sure he had some way to cope with all the horrors of the world.

It was about what was meant by the word "Communism" in political discourse, trying to find some consistency in its use. Basically what it concluded was that it referred to any country that did not meet American economic interests. Does that sound familiar?

While I agree that the Israel-Palestine conflict is a significant topic, I don’t believe this subreddit, r/chomsky, is the most appropriate outlet for it.

Unfortunately, many of the posts on this subject do not foster discussion or support but instead serve primarily as a vehicle for sharing videos and imagery that provoke hostility.

Most here likely agree that Israel’s actions against Palestine are unacceptable and that the U.S. should take a clear stance on Israel’s conduct.

This subreddit could benefit from thoughtful analysis and informed dialogue rather than emotionally charged posts.

Palestine is not even just about Palestine.

It is the litmus test if you're on the Left, and even then - you don't have to be on the Left to support the Palestinian struggle.

The Palestinian struggle is a moral issue, not a political one.

But it also overlaps with other important issues which are political - ie global capitalism, imperialism. etc.

Stuffing this subject into a megathread is a huge red flag and we should be wary of anyone proposing that.

Here: https://www.reddit.com/r/chomskybookclub_/comments/1gfv9iz/2025_marx_reading_project_capital/

Hi,

I would like to discuss an idea. I want to read through the Capital volumes 1 through 3 next year. We could start in January thru April, reading the first volume in 4 months (starting with the prefaces written by Marx, but not the introduction), with weekly discussion posts. That sounds very doable for most people. After that, we would work through volumes 2 and 3, and maybe even more Marx works. I think one volume every 4 months or so. Slow, but doable, and digestible.

Let me know what you think of this plan. We should get more people involved!

Sub here: r/chomskybookclub_

Prior to the civil war, there were 2 parties in America: The Whig Party and the Democratic Party. Of the two parties, the Democrats wholeheartedly supported slavery, while the Whigs were torn on the issue. In fact, the Whigs became so conflicted over slavery, they lost elections, couldn't keep a coalition, and eventually collapsed.

In the rubble, the Republican party was born. Within a few years, Abraham Lincoln was president, and this newly formed Republican party took a strong stance against slavery, a civil war was fought, and slavery was ended. As a result, in modern times, no one is conflicted about slavery, we all agree it is a terrible thing and both Whig and Democratic party platforms of that generation seem ridiculous.

If we look at the current two parties. Currently the Republican party wholeheartedly supports genocide and most of their voter base are satisfied with the Republican platform. Republicans can easily win elections indefinitely no matter how genocidal they behave towards Muslims, and in fact there is a decent chance doing so helps Republicans get elected. Meanwhile, the Democratic party expresses some remorse verbally about genocide, but their actions fully support genocide. Meanwhile, the Democratic base is extremely opposed to genocide and not happy at all. Democrats run the risk of losing not just this election, but many more.

If modern political thinking was applied to history, the Whig party would be regarded as the lesser evil. Modern liberals would argue to keep the Whigs alive at all costs, because at the time the Democratic party was worse. Hey, at least some Whigs expressed remorse over slavery, even if the Whig party did nothing to stop it, allowed it to perpetuate, and profited off of it too. Surely you have to vote for the lesser evil, right? What would happen if the Whigs lost big time?

But we would probably still have slavery if liberals were allowed to keep the Whigs alive. What was needed, was a party that strongly opposed slavery, it was through the death of the lesser evil party, that a newly formed greater good party was able to be formed.

What do you think? Could the Democratic Party become the next Whig Party? Would that be a good thing? If a lesser evil is perpetuating and profiting off of genocide or slavery is is still wise to support? Have there been times in American history where supporting a lesser evil was a bad idea? Is this one of those times?

Many in the [Southern Lebanon border communities] region have fled, with some towns entirely depopulated. The United Nations says 1.4 million people have been displaced across the country.

According to The Times’s latest analysis, one village, Mhaibib, appears to have been virtually flattened, with only a handful of buildings still standing. In five other villages and towns, entire neighborhoods were reduced to rubble.

[...]

An Israeli military spokesperson did not directly address the destruction in specific villages, saying only that Israel was striking military targets to “counter the continuing threat Hezbollah poses to Israeli homes and families.”

Imagine if Hezbollah used that same logic, and if that was accepted and published in the papers...

Source: NYT Title: Israel Demolished Hundreds of Buildings in Southern Lebanon, Videos and Satellite Images Show

Subtitle: At least 1,085 buildings have been destroyed or badly damaged since Israel’s invasion targeting the Hezbollah militia, including many in controlled demolitions, a New York Times analysis shows.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/30/world/middleeast/israel-lebanon-border-photos-video.html

Archive.today link to source: http://archive.today/mVK9y