Just how bad is the looming global population decline going to be for capitalism? Will it be able to AI its way out of the productivity losses? More importantly, what does this mean for my own political project? Reading: After the Wave, Winter: Demographic Decline and the "Production of Men" in the Twenty-First Century by Jason E. Smithhttps://broo…

Six months later, we come to the end.Chapter discussion timestamps:CLOUDS UNFOLD 8:26A COLD AND FROSTY MORNING 16:57ROUND THE BEND 33:53BURNING GOLD 1:01:18THE RAFTERS AND THE BEAMS 1:16:41THE STEPS OF ALL SAINTS 1:38:01EATING FLOWERS 1:54:30CORNERED 2:14:35THE ROOD IN THE WALL 2:27:01THE JOLLY SMOKERS 2:39:04GO SEE NOW THIS CURSED WOMAN 2:50:29CHA…

Back on our value theory bs - this week we discuss just what it is that makes a society socialist and what makes it capitalist. Is it all just vibes??Reading: The Capitalist Nature of the "Socialist" Countries (1986) by L.L MenSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/d3rRXNEb…

We're back and talking pancakes bay-bee.Reading: Anton Pannekoek and the Theory of the Transition (1990) by Bob ShepardSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/pMFhHCvrAutor: Jack & Dan

In which we record live from an orgone accumulator.Reading: Society and Mind in Marxian Philosophy (1937) and Marxism and Psychology (1938) by Anton PannekoekSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/Vs6CG8etAutor: Jack & Dan

In which we finally finish this book and talk productive labor, production price and yeah I don't know a lot more I'm too tired to write this caption.Reading: Essays on Marx's Theory of Value, Chapters 17-19 (1923) by I. I. RubinSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/6QVe5kbp…

In which we finally stop joking about reading Lenin and actually do it.Reading: The State and Revolution (1917) by Vladimir LeninSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/QScuasDHAutor: Jack & Dan

Is Marxism science? Is science Marxism? Is the strategy of patience all it's cracked up to be? What about all this riot business? All these questions and more answered by the podcast's second ever repeat guest, Viv Soni as we discuss his recent essay in the journal The Black Lamp.Reading: High priests of telescopes and cyclotrons: Marxism and revol…

Abstract labor eh? Seems like a simple enough concept.Reading: Essays on Marx's Theory of Value, Chapters 12-16 (1923) by I. I. RubinSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/c7QwVz26Autor: Jack & Dan

In which we have a look back at what hasn't worked, and why it will continue to not work.Reading: Reflections on the Economics of Socialism (2022) by Nick RogersSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/daKyRFAWAutor: Jack & Dan

Well this just keeps getting better. In this episode, Jack pretends he knows anything about occultism.Reading: Book Two: Mansoul from Jerusalem (2016) by Alan MooreChapter discussion timestamps:UPSTAIRS 9:07AN ASMODEUS FLIGHT 19:12RABBITS 39:00THE SCARLET WELL 48:23FLATLAND 59:55MENTAL FIGHTS 1:14:38SLEEPLESS SWORDS 1:25:50MALIGNANT, REFRACTORY SPI…

In which we theorize the potential for a protracted people's war in the outer suburbs of Miami.Reading: Philosophy of the Urban Guerrilla, Section III - What Can Be Done? (1973) by Abraham GuillénSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/xUqsPs24…

Back on the value theory grind...Reading: Essays on Marx's Theory of Value, Section Two - Marx's Labor Theory of Value, Chapters 8-11 (1923) by I. I. RubinSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/fDdf6qkxAutor: Jack & Dan

In which recently departed podcast favorite Loren Goldner discusses the immense promises and successes of the anarchists in Spain, as well as their eventual (and perhaps inevitable) defeat.Reading: "The Spanish revolution, past and future: grandeur and poverty of anarchism; how the working class takes over (or doesn't), then and now" from Revolutio…

Well here it is, the episode no one asked for. A three hour plunge into the first section of Alan Moore's masterpiece Jerusalem.Reading: Prelude "A Work in Progress" & Book One: The Boroughs from Jerusalem (2016) by Alan MooreChapter discussion timestamps:Prelude - 12:03A Host of Angles - 36:00ASBOs of Desire - 50:48Rough Sleepers - 1:14:10X Marks …

Value theory?? On auxiliary statements???Reading: Essays on Marx's Theory of Value, Section One - Marx's Theory of Commodity Fetishism (1923) by I. I. RubinSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: discord.gg/YkEg2XadAutor: Jack & Dan

Back on our ultra-left bs. If we don't read some Lenin soon, people will begin to talk...Reading: Hinterland (2018) by Phil A. NeelSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/YkEg2XadAutor: Jack & Dan

In an effort to understand the philosophy of technology and our relationship to it as humans, we turn to a 60 year old essay by Murray Bookchin.Reading: Towards a Liberatory Technology (1965) by Murray BookchinSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/YpmDM5Sd…

We finally decided it would be best if we solved quantum mechanics. Big thanks to Viv for coming on and helping us out. Find his work at The Black Lamp: www.black-lamp.comReading: The Crisis in Physics (1937) by Christopher CaudwellSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/gGh5Xe8k…

This episode we a classic Moishe Postone essay in an attempt to further our understanding of the abstract domination of capital, and how misunderstandings of it tend to very often manifest themselves in violent and unspeakable ways.Reading: "Anti-semitism and National Socialism" (1980) by Moishe PostoneSend us a question, comment or valid concern: …

Auxiliary Statements is back to reading Capital?!? Well, just the last section. We had to go back to our origin of capitalism bugbear sometime, after all. And maybe we should have just read this first.Reading: Capital, Section 8: The So-Called Primitive Accumulation (1867) by Karl MarxSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatement…

Well folks, here it is. Our big value theory episode. In this ep we discuss what it is that most people get wrong about value theory, and why using the David Harvey companion may not be the best idea for first time readers of Capital.Huge thanks to Mark again for coming on and setting us straight.Reading: A Companion to David Harvey's Companion to …

If you aren't sure what family abolition means...you are not alone. In fact, its meaning has changed drastically over the course of capitalism's development. So what could it mean today?Reading: "To Abolish the Family" (2018) by M.E. O'Brien from endnotes 5https://endnotes.org.uk/articles/to-abolish-the-family.pdfSend us a question, comment or vali…

Well we held off as long as we could, but we're back to discussing transition debate stuff. This time we attempt to take on Japan's unique path to capitalism and its equally unique brand of "feudalism."Reading: "Japanese Feudalism" from Lineages of the Absolutist State (1974) by Perry Anderson and "The Prussia of the East?"(1991) by Perry AndersonS…

That's right dear listener, we've somehow actually made it to 100 episodes. From those articles in Tribune & Jacobin in episode two, to reading the man himself, it's safe to say we've come a long way. For this special episode, we returned to Marx's Critique of the Gotha Program with fresh perspectives. Strap in, because this is one of our longest e…

Emancipatory religion rooted in proto-communism? Heh. Sorry bub. Don't you know I'm an......atheist???Reading: "Religion and Politics Today From a Marxian Perspective" (2008) by Gilbert AchcarSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/MWPap7xJ…

Well it's probably about time we approached the question of what role the exploitation and appropriation of African labor both before and during colonization played in the development of capitalism. Turns out, it was quite a large one. Reading: Chapters 3-5 from How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972) by Walter RodneySend us a question, comment or …

Unfortunately, we are back to discussing Althusser.Critisticuffs piece (specifically That Economy section): https://critisticuffs.org/texts/fantastic-thoughts-and-where-to-find-themGegenstandpunkt piece: https://en.gegenstandpunkt.com/books/work-and-wealth-2nd-revised-editionReading: The Problem of the Capitalist State by Nicos Poulantzas (1969) an…

In which two non-scientists discuss agricultural research and the philosophy of science.Reading: Chapters 8-11 of The Dialectical Biologist (1985) by Richard Lewontin and Richard LevinsSend us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/KQGJNY3GAutor: Jack & Dan

Wait wait wait - you're telling me some proles are getting bourgeois-ified?!?? And some bourgeois are getting aristocratizied?!!???Reading: "The Bourgeois(ie) as Concept and Reality" (1988) by Immanuel Wallerstein Send us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/XaTRvyGZ…

SURELY no self-proclaimed socialist would be out here defending reactionary despots and the regimes they uphold right?? SURELY THERE HAVE NEVER been communists that would have supported the commie killing, anti socialist Turkish developmental regime right?! Not any of our favorite historical figures right? Right?!?Reading: "'Socialism in One Countr…

This week we tackle the for some reason controversial topic of economic degrowth. Should we be shrinking our economies to match utility based production? Or should we just end the world? A very tricky question to ponder indeed.Send us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comReading: "Planned Degrowth" by John Bellamy F…

Somehow, we're back to the communizers. What makes the common prole decide revolution is the best course of action? And what can mae the long awaited (and first ever) communist revolution actually stick? I don't know. Something about the prisoner's dilemma I guess.Send us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comReading…

This week, Dan and Jack discuss indigenous philosophy in an attempt to answer the question of what we can learn from pre-capitalist societies. Say goodbye to your teleological Marxism, friends. Send us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comReading: Karl Marx and Radical Indigenous Critiques of Capitalism (2022) by No…

In which the fellas do their best to plod through the history of the transition from the Imperial Chinese tributary mode to the socialist developmental regime of the CCP.Send us an email: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.comDISCORD: https://discord.gg/BXgVXqTpLINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcast…

We are back at this systems theory business attempting to answer the question of just how we can de-alienate our workplaces. Last week a listener named Roger reached out with some of the ideas he's come across in researching democratic workplace systems. He sent us some critiques of the VSM as well as the essays linked below and we figured how bett…

Well here we go reading entirely unnecessary accounts of century-old communist strategy again. What is democratic centralism? Whatever you want it to be, baby.Reading: Party Organization in Lenin’s Comintern (2020) by John Riddell https://johnriddell.com/2020/11/08/party-organization-in-lenins-comintern/DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wMYg8TWhWuLINKTRE…

Link to full essay & much, much more: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CtzmDZk0j1jeoygovUndoI7sZJ7pZg3U?usp=sharingA few months ago a listener of ours named Will sent us this essay on how we can begin thinking about planned, sustainable food systems. It blew both of us away so, will his permission, we're going to be releasing a recording of …

DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wMYg8TWhWuLINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcastWell we held off as long as we could, but now we're back on our leftcom bs. What do socdems and fascists have in common? Well, yeah. A lot in fact.Reading: "Worker's Control" "Revolutionary Marxism" and "Karl Kautsky: From Marx to Hitler" by Paul Mattick Sr. (all fr…

Link to full essay & much, much more: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CtzmDZk0j1jeoygovUndoI7sZJ7pZg3U?usp=sharingA few months ago a listener of ours named Will sent us this essay on how we can begin thinking about planned, sustainable food systems. It blew both of us away so, will his permission, we're going to be releasing a recording of …

DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wMYg8TWhWuLINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcastAlright this week we've finally done it. We hAVE COMPREHENDED THE DIALECTIC - maybe, who knows. But we do have a nice chat about evolution and dump all over Richard Dawkins. So it's a good time.Reading: "On Evolution" from The Dialectical Biologist (1985) by Richard…

Link to full essay & much, much more: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CtzmDZk0j1jeoygovUndoI7sZJ7pZg3U?usp=sharingA few months ago a listener of ours named Will sent us this essay on how we can begin thinking about planned, sustainable food systems. It blew both of us away so, will his permission, we're going to be releasing a recording of …

DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wMYg8TWhWu (if this link don't work message us on twitter)LINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcastVery special ep for you today as we sat down with podcast Mt. Rushmore head Jason W. Moore to talk ecology, strategy, and just what this whole dialectic thing actually is.…

DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wMYg8TWhWu (if this link don't work message us on twitter)LINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcastToday we tackle the complicated era of the reconstruction of the American South after the Civil War. What role did the control of a subjugated labor labor force play in a supposedly post-slavery South? What was the bur…

DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wMYg8TWhWu (if this link don't work message us on twitter)LINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcastThis week the lads welcome their friend Donal to the show to talk about his upcoming publication in The Black Lamp tentatively titled "Social Object Viability Strategy." Donal is out here combining labor time accountin…

DISCORD: discord.gg/wMYg8TWhWu (if this link don't work message us on twitter)LINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcastWell we're back trying to sort out this whole 'what can we do about capitalism' thing. Comninel boldly claims that 'Marx was not a Leninist' in this week's reading as we learn what it was that made the First International so u…

DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wMYg8TWhWuLINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcastWell we're back with another episode on our old bugbear - the origin of capitalism. Just what is a transition between productive modes? How did the reproduction of labor power change between feudalism and capitalism? How did the family unit come about? All questions…

DISCORD: discord.gg/4Fhbu6fSa6LINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcastWell folks, we're back finishing off Fossil Capital. Is there any hope? How can we take power as a class? Are we going to get 4 degrees of warming? All very dire questions, so we distract ourselves by talking some more ecology. Maybe if we talk about it enough we can figure…

DISCORD: discord.gg/4Fhbu6fSa6LINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcastThis week its back to the familiar and much loved Auxiliary Statements format. After a couple of episodes spent welcoming excellent and exceedingly informative guests to the show the dunces are back at the helm. This episode Jack and Dan get stuck into Fossil Capital by And…

DISCORD: https://discord.gg/4Fhbu6fSa6LINKTREE: linktr.ee/AuxiliaryStatementsPodcastTwo interviews in a row!? Wow Dan and Jack must really be trying to get through a big book. This week we had the pleasure of talking to none other than @Grossmanite himself Ted Reese about the looming final crisis of capitalism, war, ecology, and permaculture based …