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Communist Ontologies: Communism as a Form of Life with Bruno Gulli and Richard Gilman-Opalsky

Feb 16, 2026

Guest

Bruno Gulli

Guest

Richard Gilman-Opalsky

Bruno Gulli, philosopher and poet exploring ontology and becoming. Richard Gilman-Opalsky, Marxist philosopher and percussionist probing abolition and insurgent ontologies. They probe communism as a form of life. Short, sharp conversations on identity and difference. Discussions move through embodied knowing, uprising as ontological rupture, and how care and collective becoming reconfigure everyday existence.

01:23:50

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INSIGHT

Abolition As Ontological Becoming

Ontology and political economy must be linked to understand communism as abolition of the present state of things.
Philosophy frames becoming: communism is a movement that destabilizes current forms of life toward new ones.

insights

INSIGHT

Minor Ontology And Insurgency

A minor ontology emphasizes becoming, flux, and singularity rather than fixed subjects or essences.
Insurgent ontology emerges at margins and accidents, a 'gathering of many gatherings' against constituted power.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Teaching Abolition In Prison

Richard teaches an abolition course in a maximum security prison and observes ontological fixing of people as 'criminals'.
Prison education reveals insurgent ontologies resisting the idea that a person is permanently fixed by past acts.

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Philosophy and Communism Reconnected

06:45 • 2min

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Abolition as Ontological Transformation

08:33 • 8min

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Philosophy as Science of Distinctions

16:41 • 8min

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Embodied Epistemology and the Senses

24:55 • 2min

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Heraclitus, Hegel, and Becoming

27:22 • 3min

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Relations, Forces, and Ontological Fixity

30:40 • 5min

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Minor Ontology and Insurgent Being

35:22 • 8min

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Prison Teaching and Insurgent Ontologies

43:06 • 4min

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Mass Mobilizations as Ontological Rupture

47:03 • 5min

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From Local Revolt to Wider Transformation

51:44 • 3min

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Ontology of the Human and Humanism

54:34 • 1min

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Retrieving Marx's Humanism

55:58 • 5min

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From Each According To Ability

01:01:20 • 7min

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Fixity, Dependency, and Human Condition

01:07:59 • 6min

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Care, Love, and Forms of Life

01:14:05 • 6min

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Communism as Form of Life

• Mentioned in 7 episodes

Richard Gilman-Opalsky

Marx Beyond Marx, Notes on the Grundrisse

Antonio Negri

Coming Communism, Singularity and Contingency

Bruno Gulli

Eugene Lim

Feuerbach, the roots of the socialist philosophy

The Roots of the Socialist Philosophy

Friedrich Engels

Earthly Plenitudes

Bruno Gulli

Lost Labor Essays on Women, Equality and Dependency

Eva Feder Kittay

#10406

• Mentioned in 5 episodes

Critique of the Gotha programme

Karl Marx

In this critique, Marx addresses several key issues including the dictatorship of the proletariat, the period of transition from capitalism to communism, and the two phases of communist society. He criticizes the Gotha Programme for its adherence to Lassallean ideas, its failure to address labor compensation and wealth distribution properly, and its concept of a 'free state' which Marx sees as contradictory. Marx also discusses the principle of 'from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs' and argues that in a socialist society, individuals should be paid based on their labor, not their needs. The document is a central text in Marxist theory and continues to influence discussions on socialism and communism.

#77097

Communist Ontologies

Bruno Gulli

Richard Gilman Opalski

#16609

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Das Kapital, Volume 3 delves into the process of capitalist production as a whole, focusing on the equalization of profit rates and the formation of market prices. Marx analyzes the roles of merchant capital, interest-bearing capital, and landed property in the distribution of surplus value. He examines the tendency of the rate of profit to fall, exploring the counteracting influences and the resulting crises. The book elucidates the relationship between capital accumulation and the expansion of the world market. Marx's analysis reveals the contradictions and limitations of the capitalist mode of production, paving the way for socialist revolution.

#23597

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

The Communism of Love

An Inquiry into the Poverty of Exchange Value

Richard Gilman Opalski

#5657

• Mentioned in 9 episodes

The Science of Logic

G.W.F. Hegel

#3344

• Mentioned in 14 episodes

Difference and Repetition

Paul Patton

Gilles Deleuze

#1437

• Mentioned in 29 episodes

A Thousand Plateaus

Capitalism and Schizophrenia

Félix Guattari

Gilles Deleuze

A Thousand Plateaus is a key text in the 'Capitalism and Schizophrenia' series by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. It advances a unique philosophical approach that draws from but critiques both Freudian and Marxist theories. The book is structured as a series of 'plateaus' that can be read in any order, each exploring different concepts such as rhizomes, stratification, and the distinction between smooth and striated space. It is essential reading for those interested in critical theory, feminism, literary theory, and contemporary Western culture.

#3873

• Mentioned in 12 episodes

Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts Of 1844

Karl Marx

Karl Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 are a collection of writings that explore the nature of alienation, private property, and communism. These essays delve into Marx's early critique of capitalism, focusing on the dehumanizing effects of industrial labor. He examines how capitalism alienates workers from their labor, the products of their labor, their fellow workers, and ultimately, themselves. Marx's analysis lays the groundwork for his later, more mature works, such as Das Kapital. The manuscripts offer a profound and enduring critique of the social and economic structures of capitalism.

What does it mean to think communism philosophically, and how can a political rupture be understood as an ontological transformation of the conditions of everyday life? Adam is joined by Bruno Gulli and Richard Gilman-Opalsky to discuss their book of dialogues "Communist Ontologies: An Inquiry into the Construction of New Forms of Life" out now with our comrades over at Minor Compositions. They discuss the nature of identity and difference, insurgent ontologies, and how to think of communism as an abolitionist horizon latent in struggles against oppression today.

Get the book:https://www.minorcompositions.info/?p=1320

Check out Richard's latest rhythms: edgetonerecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-fierce-and-gentle-force

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