Every time you see the question "What is to be done?", think about how much is lost in this easily fixed mistranslation. The Russian original “Что делать?” is the name of the 1863 novel by Nokolai Chernyshevsky. The image cover for this post is the 1905 title page for the novel.
In my view, the literal translation of the title -- “What to do?” -- works better. The widely accepted framing of the question in the passive voice obscures what matters most: Who is asking the question? And to whom is the question posed?
That is one of the reasons it's hard to explore this question through text, whether in blog posts or books. It's a much better question for exploration through Dialogue, where I get to ask you, and you get to ask me: "What do you intend to do?" This way, the question works; it helps both participants think.
I conclude with an appeal to anyone writing about "What is to be done?": Please fix the question.
This Public Service Announcement (PSA) is brought to you by m2dialogue.substack.com, a publication exploring gaps between stories and realities, the questions we are asking and the questions we need to ask.
More About What To Do
At noon on the next three Sundays, M2 Dialogue will continue this inquiry with answers to the following questions?
What to do about media? (01/22/2023)
What to do about liminality? (01/29/2023)
What to do about health? (02/05/2023)
Also, the next monthly essay (02/01/2023) focuses on “What to do about attention?”
Also tune in on 02/01/2023 for the second chapter of my first book — Naming the Problem: The Quest for Redemption from the Cage of Falsehood. In Chapter 1 — Diagnosis Impossible: Learning to See the Problem — I introduced the allegorical protagonist: the elephant seeking relief from iatrogenic harm. In Chapter 2, the elephant continues his search for more fruitful ways to respond to answers corrupted by misunderstandings of the question. These misunderstandings lead the Elephant to a war that forces us to re-examine our idea of “War”.
Related Reading/Listening
What Is To Be Done? (The Convivial Society, 8/30/2023)
What Is To Be Done? (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, 1902)
Editorial Notes & Disclosures
I, Lev Janashvili, scheduled this post on 01/14/ 2023 for automated publication on 01/15/2023. My future self may disagree with this message, but…