this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
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This is me. Not into all the political theory, just want my fellow human beings to be treated with dignity and for everyone to have a comfortable existence.
Reading theory helps teach us how to best make that a reality.
Yeah, but so does just doing it. And talking to people about how to do it. The point isn't that people shouldn't read, it's that the should do (and shouldn't be prevented from doing because they can't or won't read).
One could say the same of surgery, that you can learn by doing, but like surgery, without studying what has already been discovered, you'll be hurting a lot of people unnecessarily to get there, taking a lot longer too. We need to do both.
Eh. That's the difference between a complex system (politics) and a complicated system (the part of a human body where surgery is relevant). It's easier to write a manual for a complicated system and have it be correct and valuable. Complex systems not so much, not lease because every context is different and local knowledge is extremely valuable.
I agree that theory is often useful. I don't think it always is though, and I think it can be misleading and wrong for a long time without anyone really noticing. I mean.. Neoliberal economics also has a lot of theory..
Theory is written with a purpose. Neoliberalism is wrong, but useful for maintaining capitalist hegemony. Correct theory is very useful.