Philosophy and the Spontaneous Philosophy of the Scientists

Philosophy and the Spontaneous Philosophy of the Scientists (Radical Thinkers)

The publication in 1965 of For Marx and Reading Capital established Louis Althusser as one of the most original and controversial figures in the Western Marxist tradition; a thinker whose renewal of Marxism was to enjoy great influence over the next decade.

Collected here are Althusserâ€™s most significant philosophical writings from 1965 to 1978; the majority previously untranslated. Intended to contribute, in his own words, to a â€œleft-wing critique of Stalinism that would help put some substance back into the revolutionary project here in the West,â€ they are the record of a shared history. At the same time they chart Althusserâ€™s critique of the theoretical system unveiled in his own major works, and his developing practice of philosophy as a â€œrevolutionary weapon.â€

The collection opens with two lucid early articlesâ€”â€œTheory, Theoretical Practice and Theoretical Formationâ€ and â€œOn Theoretical Work.â€ The title pieceâ€”Althusserâ€™s celebrated lectures in the â€œPhilosophy Course for Scientistsâ€â€”is the fullest exploration of his new definition of philosophy as politics in the realm of theory; a conception which is further developed in â€œLenin and Philosophy.â€ â€œIs it Simple to be a Marxist in Philosophy?â€ provides an invaluable account of Althusserâ€™s intellectual development. The volume concludes with two little-known late piecesâ€”â€œThe Transformation of Philosophy,â€ in which the paradoxical history of Marxist philosophy is investigated; and â€œMarxism Today,â€ a sober balance-sheet of the Marxist tradition.

Attesting to the unique place which Althusser has occupied in modern intellectual historyâ€”between a tradition of Marxism which he sought to reconstruct, and a â€œpost-Marxismâ€ which has eclipsed its predecessorâ€”these texts are indispensable reading.
Country USA
Brand Verso
Manufacturer Verso Books
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9781844677894
Color White
ReleaseDate 2012-01-16
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781844677894

Country	USA
Brand	Verso
Manufacturer	Verso Books
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9781844677894
Color	White
ReleaseDate	2012-01-16
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781844677894

Philosophy and the Spontaneous Philosophy of the Scientists (Radical Thinkers)

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