Abdul Olugbala Shakur (New Afrikan Political Prisoner & Co-Founder of George Jackson University)
March 10th, 2023
The Chess Analogy (Part One)
The chess analogy is both the Critical and Scientific illustration of thinking before you speak, move or make a decision ,which encompasses the processes of developing solutions based on the Concrete Analysis of the Concrete Conditions. Being Scientific towards an issue simply means dissecting a problem and thoroughly analyzing each part and their internal relations with one another,as well as their external relations with conditions that can/will impact the conditions under Scientific analysis.
I use the Chess analogy as a visual illustration to instruct on the complexed applications of Scientific thinking (New Afrikan Dialectical Materialism) in its most simplicitic terms. Being simplicitic in the instructional process is not equivalent to applying a checker analogy within the confines of a strategical paradigm. We understand how difficult it is to transfer the Chess analogy from the 64 square of the Chess Board to everyday life; being simplicit in our instructional guidance is imperative towards guaranteeing a functional comprehension of the application of the Chess analogy.
The majority of People in society think like checker players, but more so our People/Communities in particular, and this observation is applicable to our People on every level of this society, may they be successful business Women/Men or even the Political/Revolutionary conscious think like checker players, even though many of our People may think they are thinking like Chess players, when in fact, they are only advanced checker players.
Please keep in mind, while reading this brief statement, I have never claimed to know everything, because I don't, but I believe if we as a People apply this process of thinking before we move would lead us to be more successful in life, especially as it pertains to our fight against racial and fascist oppression.
Before I end this brief assessment on the functional application of Scientific Thinking,let me provide brief example of transferring the process from the 64 squares to every day life. A pawn in life can be an ideal for developing a program and or institution to eradicate Hunger/Starvation within the New Afrikan Community. When you move that pawn or initiate the conceptual thought process towards developing the blue-print) you must consider all the what ifs, for example, identify as many of the conditions/circumstances that could obstruct the implementation of your blue-print, you must then develop a counter measure to each potential obstruction, of course there will be unknown variables ,but when one apply the Chess analogy ,by its very inherent nature it is flexible enough to make the necessary adjustments to address those unknown variables.
The Chess Analogy (Part Two)
I am often critical of New Afrikan
Revolutionaries who embrace foreign
Ideologies from other countries such as Marxism, Leninism or Maoism, as if we as a People are without an Ideology born from our Historical reality. Many of these Brothers and Sisters has embraced these foreign Ideologies without conducting a proper Scientific Analysis of the Concrete Conditions,such as attaining a clear and comprehensive understanding of Ideology.
What is Ideology? And what does it consist of? In brief, an Ideology consist of the Socio-economic/political, Cultural norms of a particular People, thus making Ideology an indigenous construct. This is a universal truth;so when an individual/group import a foreign Ideology they are importing the customs, Culture and social norms and beliefs from another People's Historical reality, it's like taking a square and trying to force it into a circle. The circle represents our Historical reality,while the square is a representation of the People of China.
Employing the Chess Analogy would tell these Brothers and Sisters that this foreign Ideology is not applicable to our Concrete Conditions.
If they truly studied Mao, they would know that Mao spoke to this very phenomenon.
Mao studied Marxist as well as Lenin, but he didn't import their Ideologies he'd developed an Ideology that was applicable to their Historical reality. Mao even criticized young Chinese Students returning back from learning abroad about knowing more about other People's historical reality, oppose to their own,he had openly denounced these foreign Ideological concepts that was based on the Conditions of other People. If our People would have conducted a Scientific Analysis of the particulars,they would have concluded that Maoism was not an importable Ideology;But importantly,they would have concluded if Maoism didn't work for Mao/the Chinese People, what would make you think by importing a foreign and failed Ideology based on the Concrete Conditions that existed in China at that time? China is a kapitalists Construct suffocating whatever remnants of the concept of Socialism that may linger on the memories of those older enough to remember.
A Scientific Analysis starts with understanding the anatomy of an Ideology, this process alone would have clearly emphasized that Ideology is indigenous. Marxism, Leninism and Maoism each has the suffix ism attached, which specifically speaks to a specific People/Country Concrete Conditions and the Analysis of those distinctive Concrete Conditions which are unique to a particular People. But many of our People totally ignore these established facts because they are politically immatured and they do not have a functional understanding of the very Scientific tools that even Maoism, Leninism and Marxism had employed in the process of developing their specific eological Theories and Concepts, and that is Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism which both are depending on the Concrete Analysis of the Concrete Conditions. These principles were employed by our founding fathers ( such as David Walker, Denmark Vessey, Martin Delaney, just to name a few) and the results was the manifestation of our own unique Ideological Theories and Concepts that was/is based on the Concrete Analysis of the Concrete Conditions, and that Ideological Construct has evolved: Nationalism, Black Nationalism, Revolutionary Black Nationalism and New Afrikan Revolutinary Nationalism, from David Walker to Assata Shakur. The Ideology of the Black Liberation Army was/is New Afrikan Revolutinary Nationalism.
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