Latest letters
Letter: Defense of Crisis Theory
February 8, 2026
“In response to Nicolas D Villareal’s letter regarding my article on the deteriorating US economy and the AI/Everything bubble, I thank him for highlighting the importance of providing …”
Letter: On the Gap Between Principle and Strategy in "Faith, Family and Folk: Against the Trad Left"
January 31, 2026
“Dear Mr. Parkinson,I am a university student from China who recently read the Chinese translation of your article "Faith, Family and Folk: Against the Trad Left" via the …”
Letter: The Limits of Pure Empirical Analysis—A Response to Ted Reese
January 13, 2026
“I’m generally of the opinion that the socialist Left is in need of more analysis of political economy, and that this analysis should be geared towards the most …”
Letter: The Road and the Ditch
December 20, 2025
“In the pages of Cosmonaut a discussion has been sparked by the recent book Flowers for Marx related to the scientific status of Marxism. In my original review, …”
Letter: For Asad
December 16, 2025
“It's a matter of seizing these things back and demanding more. -Asad in an email to me, April 2020.It’s hard to believe that Asad is dead. Like many …”
Letter: Grasping the Golden Bough
December 7, 2025
“Several weeks ago, I reasonably critiqued Meagan Day’s offhand dismissal of occult influences in socialist politics. In turn, a positivist Donald Parkinson rejected my idea that occultism has …”
Letter: We Must Never Again Remain Silent in the Face of a Genocide
December 4, 2025
“The following motion was submitted to the 18th federal congress of the German socialist youth organization Linksjugend—the youth wing of the German party Die Linke—by the Berlin delegation …”
Letter: The Conceptual Erasure of Empire in McManus’ Liberal Socialism
November 26, 2025
“A response to McManus’ defense of “liberal socialism” must begin with imperialism because it is the terrain on which the very philosophical issues he foregrounds—humanism, Marx interpretation, essentialism—acquire …”
Letter: Defending Liberal Socialism—A Reply to Yanis Iqbal
November 23, 2025
“I appreciated Yanis Iqbal’s recent article “The Contradictions of Liberal Socialism: A Critique of Matt McManus” published in these very pages. Iqbal formulated a cogent and tight hard-left …”
Letter: The Dead Will Not Be Raised
November 17, 2025
“"Look here, brotherWho you jivin' with that cosmic debris?" -Frank ZappaOne of the benefits of agreeing on materialism as a philosophy is that it saves us the trouble …”
Letter: Rattner on Chibber's "Chauvinism"
November 10, 2025
“In a recent letter, Michael Rattner criticizes Vivek Chibber's keynote speech at Jacobin magazine's "Socialism In Our Time" conference. Writes Rattner: "In an incredible show of chauvinistic hubris, …”
Letter: The Dead Will Be Raised
November 6, 2025
“Jacobin editor Meagan Day recently relayed a historical account of the entwinement of socialist and occult practices. Applauding the US socialist movement’s embrace of materialist practice, Day claims …”
Letter: Red Flag, Not Stars and Stripes
November 4, 2025
“Meagan Day’s recent piece in Jacobin, “Patriotism Against Authoritarianism” argues that the outpouring of patriotism and flag-waving at the recent No Kings protests was “a good thing.”Let’s start …”
Letter: Decree No. 4 and the Town Where Nothing Happened
October 26, 2025
“As Trump continues to ramp up his unchecked violence against the people along South America’s Caribbean coast, as well as an ever-widening segment of the US population, I …”
Letter: SJP UH x Houston Arms Embargo Campaign Hunger Strike
October 22, 2025
“On October 15th, 2025, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston launched a hunger strike in solidarity with the great people of Gaza, who for …”