[lbo-talk] not theory

[Carrol Cox]

I weary of theory in the abstract as a topic. The nation is bubbling with
concrete ideas as to building the present movement, and discussing them is I
think of greater immediate importance. But if you do want to discuss theory
you have to be prepared to theorize theory, to ask where it comes from, its
relations to thinking embodied in ongoing practice. There are other kinds of
thinking, crucial and difficult kinds of thinking, that are not theoretical,
that is firmly grounded in ongoing practice, tries to make sense of that
practice and at least tentatively generalize it.

Carrol

-----Original Message-----
From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
On Behalf Of Carrol Cox
Sent: Monday, January 30, 2012 12:26 PM
To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] not theory

Miles Jackson: 

On 1/30/2012 6:55 AM, Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> Or, as the Gang of Four put it in "Why Theory?," "What we think changes
how we act."

I love that song, but I always want to say: It works the other way 
around too!

(Thinking & Theory are not the same incidentally.)

And the ultimate question (carrying us both away from and back to political
practice) is Where do those ideas come from? Do they drop from the sky? 

Carrol

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