London-based Philosophy Now magazine has published two of our "Political Brains" cartoons in this year's March/April issue, as an illustration to their book review of The Righteous Mind by the American psychologist, Jonathan Haidt.The magazine had contacted me in January for permission, which I happily granted. In April I received a package from London, with two hard copies of the magazine and a letter below.

In addition to crediting the author and the website, the editors went as far as actually inviting their readers to visit ThePeoplesCube.com.

It would seem that their appreciation of our materials is not coincidental.

The magazine itself makes a very interesting and entertaining read, discussing the philosophical differences between conservatives and progressives, Ayn Rand and Kant, and runs a parody of Plato's dialogues with Socrates, in which the two ancient philosophers discuss modern-day conservatism and progressivism.

It even contains photoshopped illustrations done in the traditional People's Cube method, placing their own slogans on the signs of Middle Eastern protesters.

The link to the online vesion of the current issue is here.

The book review with our illustrations is for subscribers only, but I scanned the relevant pages, which can be seen here: Page 1 and Page 2.

This is how the images appear in the spread.


And these are the original color versions.

First appeared in this post


First appeared in this post


And if you're still reading this, here is the letter from the editor.

Uh… something missing here, Comrade.

Poor Comrade Brain has lost his jar!

From what I understand, Comrade brain in the container has the ability to lurch out of the fluid and onto a very large petri dish for exams. And if his micro-lobe of exerting any work is completely drained (which is is 99.7% of the time), he can be gently dropped on his global warming cerebellum!

"...discussing the philosophical differences between conservatives and progressives"?

This is dangerous. I hope the magazine includes instructions to the reader to rip out and jump up and down on the parts containing the [ugh] conservative stuff, or they may not realize that what they are reading is wrong.

Opiate of the People wrote:"...discussing the philosophical differences between conservatives and progressives"?

This is dangerous. I hope the magazine includes instructions to the reader to rip out and jump up and down on the parts containing the [ugh] conservative stuff, or they may not realize that what they are reading is wrong.

Comrade Opiate,

Well said. My main concern is for the graphic agitator as his blasphemy will not go unpunished.

I have secretly subscribed (under my real reporter assumed name) to the "Philosophy Now" magazine and will be observing future issues carefully for possible thoughtcrimes against The People.™ You, my comrades, will be notified when/if any transgressions from orthodox non-thought are found - that is, if I'm able to do so. Please notify Red Square if I fail to show up at the next Party meeting. He will know what to do. Wish me luck.

American Thinker has this entire post with their own commentary in this morning's blog section:

Just when you thought academia was hopeless...

Thomas Lifson wrote:Along comes the British journal Philosophy Now, which has used two illustrations by Our friend Oleg Atbashian, the ex-Soviet agitprop artist who now runs The People's Cube, an often hilarious send-up of the left. And what illustrations they are...

Philosophy....
My Dear Leader at work.....

I will tell you all a secret, comrades. I posed for BOTH brain potraits. Several years ago, I was out of work and looking for a job (this as before I came to understand the full glories of the State and the State's programs to justly take and selectively distribute). I saw an ad for an artist's model, and thought "What the Hell; even if I have to get naked, I need a few bucks to pay the rent."

I responded to the ad and found myself in a garret studio facing an odd (so it seemed at the time) man wearing a large mustache and strange woolen cap. He gave me a questionaire to fill out. I thought it unusual for a modeling job, especially given the political nature of the questions, but he explained that he wanted to capture the essence of political thought in the "substructure" of the subject. I thought he meant something like subliminal body language.

Anyhow, I filled out the questionaire, answering no to questions like:

"Do you think you have an entitlement to Other People's Money?"
and
"Do you feel guilty at the advantage your White Privilege has given you?"
and
"Are you aware of the constant class warfare being waged by the Republican Party?"

and yes to questions like

"Are you responsible for your own actions?"
and
"If you do something stupid or irresponsible, should you suffer the consequence?"
and
"Do you believe in inividual rights?"

Some of the answers seemed to excite the odd man and his two companions, one a raw-boned woman wearing a red head scarf and clutching a shovel, the other apparently a man in a dog costume wearing a military hat. At the time, I assumed they were performance artists of some kind. At any rate, they kept whispering to each other, things like "We finally got one!" and such.

The man in the woolen hat then asked me to take a seat, after which he positioned a large device next to my head and flipped a switch. A low humming began as he scurried back behind a thick gray metalic screen. The humming got louder, becoming a throbbing bass note as the man in woolen hat began sketching rapidly.

I passed out.

When I woke up, I felt weightless, like I was floating in a cloud of well-being; like I had been fundamentally transformed. I knew that I was the person that I had been waiting for, and at this moment the planet had begun to cool and the seas had started to recede.

I tried to move my arms and legs and discovered that I didn't have them. I should have been terrified, I know, but somehow I knew that the State would take care of me. Other people had money, after all. Only a selfish racist homophobe would object to paying for my cell phone.

At this point the lady with the shovel came in and plucked me from my jar and laid me on a gleaming table. With two deft strokes of her shovel, she split me in half and then removed a thin slice from the precise center of my being. The man in the woolen cap snatched it up and, while the shovel lady glued me back together with flour-and-water paste, slapped the slice onto a canvas, coated it with acrylic, and started labeling potions of it. All the while the dog (as it suddenly seemed clear to me that it really was a dog in a Soviet Marshal's hat) droned on about what had happened to bring about my awakening.

It seems that the three of them, Red Square, Pinkie, and Marshal Pupovich had hoped to find a conservative and by carefully bombarding his brain with rays from a salvaged and heavily modified Buster Brown shoe-store foot X-ray machine, change him into a Progressive.

As they had Hoped, I had Changed. These illustrations bear witness.

I have to tell you, all of this high brow philosophy stuff has only given this Commodore a severe head ache. So do I get some free stuff or what out of this?????

Commodore Snoogie Woogums wrote:I have to tell you, all of this high brow philosophy stuff has only given this Commodore a severe head ache. So do I get some free stuff or what out of this?????

It's understandable that someone of your military training would find this subject beyond your field of specialty - as you have only the need and ability to follow orders (and give them, even if you don't understand them). I too find this talk of high brow philosophy somewhat overwhelming, being that I'm only a simple prole... but at the same time, we both should be able to take this free stuff of knowing that our dear leader Comrade Red Square has been honored by these Fabian philosophers and also knowing that we are well lead by such an elite leader as Red Square. What more could we ask for? If we know he is such an elite leader - then he knows what is best for us! But, now I wonder dear Commodore - are you questioning this fact? Are you wanting to be denounced and face a military tribunal for such insubordination? Remember, it can (and will) be arranged!

Sincerely loyal,
Anon E. Mouse

Commodore Snoogie Woogums wrote:I have to tell you, all of this high brow philosophy stuff has only given this Commodore a severe head ache. So do I get some free stuff or what out of this?????

Commodore,

You are free to think all the non-thoughts you can muster and all the vodka you can swill. How much more freedom do you expect or need?

anonemous1 wrote:

Commodore Snoogie Woogums wrote:I have to tell you, all of this high brow philosophy stuff has only given this Commodore a severe head ache. So do I get some free stuff or what out of this?????

It's understandable that someone of your military training would find this subject beyond your field of specialty - as you have only the need and ability to follow orders (and give them, even if you don't understand them). I too find this talk of high brow philosophy somewhat overwhelming, being that I'm only a simple prole... but at the same time, we both should be able to take this free stuff of knowing that our dear leader Comrade Red Square has been honored by these Fabian philosophers and also knowing that we are well lead by such an elite leader as Red Square. What more could we ask for? If we know he is such an elite leader - then he knows what is best for us! But, now I wonder dear Commodore - are you questioning this fact? Are you wanting to be denounced and face a military tribunal for such insubordination? Remember, it can (and will) be arranged!

Sincerely loyal,
Anon E. Mouse

Lenin forbid that I am in not in awe that these high faluten' philosophers have honored our glorious Chairman with accolades!! I'm just having some issues with the whole 'I think therefore I is thing', or that pesky question that if a marxist falls in the forest and nobody hears do we still get to next Tuesday??

The only question that must be answered is how long must we stand in line before being told there is no bread?

<off>
Nice work Red Square! Now lets work on Field & Stream and Popular Mechanics!
<on>

Now let's get back to tending our beets, and selling our place in line...

Oh, FoStalinSakes Comrades Snoogie and Tovi, relax and get real! Relaaax!


That's what cats do. Even though I know, based on previous posts of yours, Tovi, who claims to hate kitties, you will find this funny. Even I, who love kitties, find it funny.


It's a metaphor for something relevant here. I'm not sure what. It's about just "getting on with it."