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This is a GA review conducted by the sweeps process to assess older GA articles to determine whether they are still up to the quality as when they were promoted to GA. I believe that this article is well written, well-referenced, detailed, and is NPOV. This article remains a GA. OhanaUnitedTalk page16:25, 3 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I cited some comments by Gould and colleagues stating that he was a Marxist; @Generalrelativeundid my edit as redundant. I would question this - the current page nowhere describes Gould as a Marxist, and indeed strongly implies that he was not, by contrasting him with his father. Is this not worth mentioning? Tamunro (talk) 14:28, 10 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Can you point to a quote in which Gould explicitly denied being a Marxist?
The closest quote I can find in the current article and its sources is taken from this sentence:
"I said nothing about my political beliefs (very different from my father’s, by the way, and a private matter that I do not choose to discuss in this forum)"
Far from an explicit denial of being a Marxist, this is one of his many explicit refusals to state his political beliefs. Nor is it implicit, either: almost all Marxists would say their beliefs are "very different" than Stalin's, for example. He likewise avoids clearly stating his beliefs in the deposition quoted.
His actions indicate that he was indeed a Marxist:
"He was on the advisory boards of the academic journal Rethinking Marxism and the Manhattan-based Brecht Forum. The latter is the sponsor of the New York Marxist School ... where Gould sometimes spoke. Gould was also a speaker at ... a forum on The Future of the Left to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Communist Manifesto in 1998."
I think a fair summary for the purposes of the article would be that he didn't publicly confirm or deny being a Marxist, but Marxist friends and colleagues described him as one, and that he donated his time to Marxist organizations. Tamunro (talk) 20:46, 17 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Your claim that His actions indicate that he was indeed a Marxist is WP:SYNTH. Someone could have some important points of agreement with a Marxist organization, be willing to speak to a Marxist organization, even be connected with a Marxist journal, and (especially if he's a prominent person like Gould) Marxists could want to claim him as one of their own based on his friendliness to them - all without his being a Marxist. Just as someone can work closely with the Democrats in opposing Trump and speak to Democratic Party gatherings about it without being a Democrat. My impression from hearing Gould speak and reading his books was that he's not a Marxist. But that's just my opinion, which is as irrelevant here as is Tamunro's opinion on the matter. NightHeron (talk) 22:17, 17 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Can you point to a quote in which Gould explicitly denied being a Marxist?
My political views tend to the left of center. Q. Could you be more specific about your political views? A. I don't know how to be. I am not a joiner, so I am not a member of any organization. So I have always resisted labeling.
level-4 vital article is rated GA-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
