Mysuru: Ravi Joshi, retired Joint Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, will speak on the topic “Understanding the Political Right & the Left — From Edmund Burke to Harold Laski” at an event organised by the Mysore Literary Association on Nov. 10 (Sunday) at 11 am at Kalpakshetra auditorium, Vijayanagar 2nd Stage, Mysuru.

He will talk about the origins of the ideas that inspired the formation of Rightist & Leftist political parties in political theory as well as in the American War of Independence and the French  Revolution of the 18th century. Tracing back the origin of Conservatism as a political philosophy to Edmund Burke, he will contrast it with the ideas of Thomas Paine as well as the ideas of the                            Social Contractualists — Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Talking about the origins of Leftist ideology, he will trace it to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to the various schools of thought that rose in Europe such as the Frankfurt School, French and Italian versions to various forms of Socialism that it spawned. He will also deal with the contribution of Lenin in applying the theory of Marxism to revolutionary praxis in bringing about the Russian Revolution of 1917.

The speaker will then talk about the current versions of Right & Left in the major democracies of the world.

The talk is open to all. For details call Mob: 78290-02227.