Science as a method of understanding and transforming society.
The distinction between bourgeois and revolutionary science.
Marxism-Leninism as the complete system of Scientific Socialism.
Science is not neutral.2
Science is a tool, or method, that is used for understanding, predicting, and shaping natural phenomena. As such, the scientific method is inherently tied to the nature of the material world, and is thus inherently oriented towards materialism.
Image: Photo Showing a Large 1,000-Pound Unexploded Bomb Found in Laos. | Pasaxon.
Translator’s Note
The following is a SocInform translation of a public notice published via social media by Pasaxon (“The People”), official newspaper of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. Originally published 01 August 2025 under the same title.
This announcement serves as a timely reminder of the ongoing legacy of America’s illegal secret war against the Lao people, and a record of that legacy’s ongoing impact on the Lao people as they continue their long march to peace, independence, democracy, unity, and prosperity.1
It is our hope that by translating and distributing this article, we will play a small part in memorializing the Lao people’s struggle, and raise the awareness of progressive people around the world to the Lao PDR’s ongoing commitment to building a better future for the Lao people, of all ethnic groups, guided by the dedicated leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party.
Leninism is Marxism of the era of imperialism and the proletarian revolution. To be more exact, Leninism is the theory and tactics of the proletarian revolution in general, the theory and tactics of the dictatorship of the proletariat in particular.
Marxism-Leninism as a scientific worldview rooted in dialectical and historical materialism.
Theory of proletarian revolution, development in the era of imperialism.
The unity of philosophy, political economy, and revolutionary practice.
In order to establish an understanding of Marxism-Leninism—in simple or complex terms—it is necessary to first begin with the simplest possible framework: a basic assessment of what Marxism-Leninism is, and what Marxism-Leninism isn’t.
The following is a translation of an article by Zhao Yujie, published by Xuexi Shibao (“Study Times”), a publication of the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China, via People’s Daily. Translated for SocInform by Liu Xuegang, China Section Editor. Further edits by the SocInform editorial board.
This article offers a comprehensive overview of the Communist Party’s position regarding economic development, and, it is hoped, will offer deep insights into some of the questions often asked by readers in the West. Certain turns of phrase, such as material civilization, are only seen in official policies and announcements from Chinese sources. As such, this translation attempts to bridge the gap between the nomenclatures of East and West by offering more common translations of expressions in English while retaining their original essence in Chinese.
In the second chapter of his 1902 text, What is to be Done?, V.I. Lenin writes:
But what else is the function of Social-Democracy if not to be a “spirit” that not only hovers over the spontaneous movement, but also raises this movement to the level of “its programme”? Surely, it is not its function to drag at the tail of the movement. At best, this would be of no service to the movement; at worst, it would be exceedingly harmful. Rabocheye Dyelo, however, not only follows this “tactics-as-process,” but elevates it to a principle, so that it would be more correct to describe its tendency not as opportunism, but as tail-ism (from the word tail). And it must be admitted that those who are determined always to follow behind the movement and be its tail are absolutely and forever guaranteed against “belittling the spontaneous element of development.”
Pres. Thongloun Sisoulith’s Eulogy to Cde. Khamtay Siphandone
Translator’s Note
The following is a translation of an article published by Pasaxon (“The People”), newspaper of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, recording the eulogy delivered by President Thongloun Sisoulith in commemoration of the passing of Cde. Khamtay Siphandone. Originally published 08 April 2025, under the title: A Eulogy to Comrade General Khamtay Siphandone from Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Socinform: Translated Letter Marking the 4th Anniversary of the Burmese PLA
The following is a translation of a letter published by the armed wing of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), commemorating the 4th anniversary of its re-establishment. The CPB was supposedly dissolved in 1989, following a series of setbacks, including the mass suppression of the 8888 Uprising and ensuing takeover of the country by the so-called State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), establishing a new period of military dictatorship. Until recently, the general perception of the CPB in the west was that it had been completely dissolved, and that its leaders and members had all either quit the Party completely, been killed, or fled (or were exiled) to neighboring China.
Within the contemporary Marxist-Leninist movement, five states, as well as multiple historical states, stand in prominence and awe for their achievements: Actually-Existing Socialism (AES). Since the collapse of the Soviet bloc, those five states are: the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Cuba, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. However, the simplicity of this presentation is deceptive, as no concise definition of the term AES exists, and bound up within its contemporary usage remain the contradictions of previous generations.
“What is math?” for both Marxists who don’t know math and Marxists who do
When utilized correctly, mathematics, like Marxism, is a powerful tool for analyzing complex systems. Like dialectical and historical materialist analysis, it gives the tools for one to decompose any problem into more simple rules that allow one to reason in manageable steps. This series of articles is designed to guide a reader with any level of (or no) mathematical knowledge to understand why math is important to the study of Marxism. Additionally, it aims to give the reader a sense of what math is and, more importantly, how to utilize it effectively for analysis and prediction of material events. By the end of the series, we will discuss several mathematical toolkits and their usage in analyzing labor and other historical material developments, including some physics and higher level math, such as the free energy principle, synthetic differential geometry, and measure theory. Additionally, we intend to teach immediately useful skills, such as the fundamentals of computing and various bits of computer science, as well as how to use those skills to do data analysis or tool development.
In class society, everyone lives as a member of a particular class, and every kind of thinking, without exception, is stamped with the brand of a class.
— Mao Zedong
What is culture? The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines “culture,” in its noun form, as the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time. In other words, culture encompasses the attitudes, feelings, and beliefs of a specific group of people situated in a particular place and time. Therefore, understanding culture involves examining its components and contradictions, and exploring the relationships it constitutes between human society and the natural world.
