Analysis of force relations only matters as justification for practical will

Evidence

But the most important observation to be made about any concrete analysis of the relations of force is the following: that such analyses cannot and must not be ends in themselves (unless the intention is merely to write a chapter of past history), but acquire significance only if they serve to justify a particular practical activity, or initiative of will. They reveal the points of least resistance, at which the force of will can be most fruitfully applied; they suggest immediate tactical operations; they indicate how a campaign of political agitation may best be launched, what language will best be understood by the masses, etc. The decisive element in every situation is the permanently organised and long-prepared force which can be put into the field when it is judged that a situation is favourable (and it can be favourable only in so far as such a force exists, and is full of fighting spirit). Therefore the essential task is that of systematically and patiently ensuring that this force is formed, developed, and rendered ever more homogeneous, compact, and self-aware. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 769

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: how does this ‘no analysis as end in itself’ stance square with Gramsci’s own prison writing, which is necessarily contemplative and unfree?
• XREF: Connects to the toolkit entry on hegemony and common sense as practical, not purely descriptive, concepts — analysis serves organized political will.