Marxism

Chinese ReligionChinese Buddhism, Thought and History

Koichi Matsumoto, "What is the Chinese Religion, Taoism" - Recommended as an introduction to Taoism! Lots of photos and documents.

Taoism is so deeply rooted in the lives of the Chinese people. And interestingly, it is also mixed with Confucianism and Buddhism and is still believed in today. This is similar to the way Japanese people practice their religion.

Taoism is not easy for Japanese to visualize, but this book is visually friendly with many photos and documents.

I am also pleased that the explanations are designed to be easy to read and understand even for beginners.

I highly recommend this book as an introduction to Taoism.
Stalin's LibraryHistory of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Jeffrey Roberts, "Stalin's Library" - A novel biography of Stalin from the perspective of reading. How did he view Dostoevsky?

Hating him doesn't explain why and how he went to such lengths."

This is a very important point made by the author. If we put Stalin away as just a big bad man, that is where our thinking ends.

This is a very stimulating book that looks at Stalin from the perspective of "reading" to find out why he was able to become a dictator and what was behind his success. The author's courage to attack from a minor angle, "reading," which in a sense is not easily associated with dictatorships, is nothing short of amazing. It is very innovative.
theory of the leisured classMarx Engels Writings and Related Works

Veblen, "The Theory of the Aristocracy" - The secrets of wealth, desire, and human psychology are laid bare! A masterful book full of bombshells!

No one who reads this book will ever look at the consumption of goods the same way again."

That's exactly right! In this book, there are a lot of naked bombshells that make you want to say, "You can't say that! But when you think about it, you can't help but nod your head and say, "Well, maybe Veblen is right....

There are tremendously exciting words that keep coming up in this book. I can only say that you should read and experience this. I hope you will enjoy Veblen's bombshells.

It was a real pleasure to encounter this book through Hirofumi Uzawa. It was a work that left a strong impact on me as well. I would highly recommend this work.
social common capitalMarx Engels Writings and Related Works

Hirofumi Uzawa, "Social Common Capital" - Proposals by a leading Japanese economist who was one of the first to advocate the commons!

This book was published in 2000. Now it is 2023, and I feel that the world is even worse off than the world Hirofumi Uzawa saw. What would Hirofumi Uzawa say if he were alive today? This is a big question for me to think about.

Reflect on the excesses of capitalism and rethink social common capital. This book makes it clear that this is an urgent task. It makes you think about how critical the situation is today.

This recommendation by a leading Japanese economist is so valuable.

It may be a little tough to start reading from this book suddenly, so we recommend you start with "The Man Who Fought Against Capitalism: Hirofumi Uzawa and the World of Economics" by Minoru Sasaki.
Social costs of automobilesMarx Engels Writings and Related Works

Hirofumi Uzawa, "The Social Cost of Automobiles" - A classic book that cuts to the heart of the structure of Japan's automobile industry and environmental issues, and is a must-read now!

This book is first of all written for the general reader and is not a technical book. The hope is that this book will encourage many people to think about current economic issues. Therefore, rather than discussing difficult economic theories, Hirofumi Uzawa chooses topics that can be considered as problems close to one's own heart.

The book was published almost 50 years ago, in 1974.

We can only be surprised that so many proposals were made against capitalism at that point in time.

At a time when Marxism was at the height of its criticism of capitalism, Hirofumi Uzawa continued to criticize it from within economics instead.

This is a book that has made me more and more interested in the person of Hirofumi Uzawa.
our childrenMarx Engels Writings and Related Works

R. D. Putnam, "Our Children - The Growing Opportunity Gap in the United States" - A recommended reference book to learn about educational disparity and family environment!

There used to be an "American Dream" in the United States. You can change your life with your personal talent and effort! You can seize your dream!

But that is now a thing of the past. Now a child born into the poor class can no longer hope for such social ascent. This book will look at why that is and what is happening in the United States today.

And by looking at this current "nightmare" we can also see the background of the former "American Dream".

I too have a very strong interest in the issue of "education". This has become a particularly big issue for me as I have recently become more and more involved in local schools. This book raises serious issues in terms of children's education. I highly recommend this book.
free fallMarx Engels Writings and Related Works

Stiglitz, "Free Fall" - Proposals by the Nobel economist who harshly criticized neoliberalism!

The author, Stiglitz, is a Nobel economist who criticized the American neoliberalism that caused the 2008 Lehman Shock.

I originally picked up this book because I studied Marx. Marx criticized capitalism. And even today, Marxists criticize capitalism, but Marxism is not the only critique of capitalism that has gone too far. Hirofumi Uno, the proud Japanese economist whom I introduced in my previous article, also sounded a strong warning against American-style capitalism.

What is more, the author of this work, Nobel economist Stiglitz, was mentored by Hirofumi Uzawa as a young man. This was a surprise to me as well.

So I picked up this book with the hope of reading a book by Stiglitz, who was trained by Hirofumi Uzawa.
The Man Who Fought CapitalismMarx Engels Writings and Related Works

Minoru Sasaki, "The Man Who Fought Capitalism: Hirofumi Uzawa and the World of Economics" - Recommended biography of one of Japan's leading economists!

Hirofumi Uzawa discusses American-style neoliberalism, environmental issues, and inequality from the perspective of "social common capital. He is not a theoretical thinker, but a man who went to the Minamata Disease site and continued to fight against the reality of the disease.

I was also struck by the way he continues to practice in the field despite being an economist.

It should not be overlooked that his experiences at a Zen temple as a young man influenced him throughout his life.

Anyway, the scale is so huge!

I too am confused as to what to tell you. It is such an intense life.

It is a masterpiece of a masterpiece that I hope as many people as possible will read. I am sure that reading this book will spark a spark in your mind. You will be surprised to know that there is such an amazing person in Japan!
The Industrial Revolution and British and European Society

Masaie Matsumura (ed.), "Punch" Drawings: London in the 19th Century - London in the Industrial Revolution through caricatures! What did Marx Engels see?

This work is an excellent introduction to London during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century.

The most distinctive feature of this work is the large number of caricatures that can be seen. Punch" magazine was a sharp satire and social commentary on life in England at the time.

We have been learning about Marx and Engels on this blog, and we appreciated this work to learn more about their life in England and their ideological background.
Pavlov.The Industrial Revolution and British and European Society

Oxford Portrait of Science: Pavlov" A recommended biography of the great Russian scientist, famous for his "conditioned reflex" and Pavlov's dog!

The "conditioned reflex" and "Pavlov's dog" are directly related to modern brain science and neurological research. Therefore, I had assumed that they were more recent or had been studied in the UK or Germany.

I had no idea that was Russia in the 19th century!

At the very time that Dostoevsky and Tolstoy were drawing on psychological and religious writings that had little science in them, Pavlov was working on scientific research...

This was something I could not imagine if I only thought about Russian literature. In this sense, this biography is a valuable work that allowed me to look at Russia at that time from a different angle than usual, that of science.