Below is part of a social media exchange between former Beard of the Year Michael Rosen and myself (Beard Liberation Front Organiser). It focuses initially on well known stubble wearer Jose Mourinho and the dialectic of shaving, stubble and beards.
The discussion extended to a focus on Marx and Engels view of shaving. Marx recorded a shaving of his beard in Algiers in April 1882. Below is a letter from 17 year old Engels who at the time was on a manufacturing placement in Bremen. He went to work in the family factory in Manchester in 1842.
Its clear from the letter that Engels took the relationship between shaving and growing a beard very seriously
Hmmm but if its 1 Thesis, shaving 2 Antithesis not shaving 3 Synthesis, stubble I think synthesis is seriously underachieving here. I think Marx’s beard improved on Hegel here (Keith Flett)
I’m not sure that is historically correct, Fletty. Dialectically speaking, nothing is accidental. The act of not shaving, is the dialectic equivalent to shaving. Thus the synthesis: ‘the stubble’. Mourinho would have been acutely aware of Hegel on this matter. (Michael Rosen)
This morning a barber came round and Herr Pastor” wanted
me to have a shave for he said I looked quite revolting. But I do
not do so. Father said that I should leave my razors locked u p
until I need them and he left a fortnight ago today and my beard
certainly cannot have grown so much in that time. And now I shall
not shave until I have a moustache as black as a raven. And you
know, Mother told Father to give me a razor to take with me and
Father answered that would be tempting me to start shaving, and
he would buy me some himself in Manchester, but I don’t use
them on principle.
Engels to Marie Engels Bremen 28th August 1838
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