For Marx (Radical Thinkers)

276 Pages·2010·7.24 MB·English

by  Louis Althusser

FOR MARX
LouiAsl thusser
TranslabtyeB de nB rewster
VERSO
Lond•o Nne wY ork

ContentsTo My EngliRseha ders9
Acknowledgeme1n7t s
IntroductTioodna:y 2 1
1 Feuerb'asc' hPhilosopMhainciafle sto4e1s '
2 'Ont heY oungM arx' 49
3 ContradicatnidoO nve rdetermina8t7i on
4 The'P iccoTleoa tro':
BertolaazznidB recht1 29
S The'1 844M anuscripotfKs a'r lM arx 1S 3
l
6 On theM ateriaDliiaslte ct1i6c1
GarXisamn dH umanism2 19
01 ary 249
Indx 2S9
Originpaulbllyi sahseP do uMra rxb y
Franc;:oMiass perPoa,r i19s6 5
© Franc;:oMiass per1o9 65
Firpsutb lisinhe Edn gli1s9h6 9
Transla©ti BoennB rewst1e9r6 9
Thiesd itipounb lisbhyeV de rs2o0 05
Allr ighrtess erved
Them orarligh tso ft hea uthoarn dt ranslhaatvobere ena sserted
357910864
Verso
UK:6 MearSdt reLeotn,d oWn1 F OEG
USA:1 80V aricSkt reNeetw, Y orkN Y 10014-4606
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Versiost hei mprionftN ew LefBto oks
ISBN1 -84467-052-X
ISBN9 78-1-84467-052-9
BritUibsrhaC rayt aloignPu uibnlgi cDaatitoan
A catalorgeuceo rfdor t hibso oki s avaiflraobmtl heeB ritiLsihb rary
UbraorfCy o ngrCeastsa lOging-iDna-tPau blication
A catalroegc ofrdo rt hisb ooki sa vailafbrloemt heL ibraorfyC ongress
Printaenddb ounind theU niteKdi ngdobmy C PIB ookmarqCureo,y don
Thesep ageasr ed edicated
tot hem emoroyf J acquMeasr tin,
the friend
who,i nt hem ostt erriobrldee al,
alone
discovetrheerd o ad to
Marx'psh ilosophy
-andg uidemde ontiot .
L.A.

MyEng Usb
To Readers
I shoulldi kber ietfloyp resetnhtit sr anslaotfPi oonu Mrar xt o
anE ngliasuhd ienacned,0, thes ameo ccasitoonm ,a keu seo f
thet ime thhaaset l apd sin itw asw rittteotn a kseo me' bear­
ingso'nt hep hiloscoaplch tenatn dt hie deologsiicganli ficance
oft hissm alblo ok.
PouMra raxp pearienFd r ancien1 965B.u to nliyt Isn troduc­
tio(n' Todadya't)e fsr omt hayte arA.l l1tohteh ecrh aptewresr e
publisehaerdl ibeert,w e1e9n6 a0n d1 964i,nt hef ormo fa rticles
inF rencCho mmuniPsatr tjyo urna*l Tsh.e yw erec ollecttoe­d
gether exaasoc rtilgyi nwarliltyt weint,h oaunty c orrectoiro ns
alterations.
Tou ndersttahnedse es saaynsdt op asjsu dgemeonntt h emi,ti s
essenttoir ale altihzea tth ewye rceo nceived, awnrdpi utbtleins hed
bya C ommunipshti losoipnha ep ra rticiudleaorl ogaincdta hle or­
eticcaoln junctSuort ehte.st ee xmtuss bt et akefno wrh atth eayr e.
Theya rep hiloiscoaepslhs aytsh,efi rsstt agoefsa long-tienr­m
vestigaptrieolni,m irneasruylw thsi cohb vioudselmya ncdo rrec­
tiont;h iisn vestigcaotnicoenrnt sh es pecifinca turoeft hep rin­
ciploefts h es cienacnedp hilosofpohuyn dbeydM arxH.o wever,
thespeh ilosopehsiscaadylos n otd erifvreo ma mereleyr udiotre
speculaitnivvees tigTahteiyoa nr.eS ,i multaninetoeursvelnyt,i ons
ina definictoen juncture.
I
Ast hIen troducsthioownts h,i cso njuncitsufi,rr est th,te h eoretical
andi deologciocnajlu nctiunrF er ancmeo,r ep articultahrel y
_
presecnotn junctiuntr hee F rencCho mmunisPta rtya ndi n
• Witht hee xceptoifo nt ahret iocnlB ee rtolaanzzdiB rechwth,i cwha s
publisihnet dh eC athorleivci Eeswp rit.
tFore xplanaotfit oenr muss esecd Glossaprayg,2e 49.
9
ForM arx
Frencphh ilosoBpuhtya .sw elals t hipse culiFarrelnycc ho njunc­
turei,t i sa lstoh ep reseindte ologaincdta hle oretciocnajlu ncture
int hei nternatCioomnmalu nimsotv ement.
Ofc oursteh,ee ssayyosu a rea boutto r eaddo n otb eaorn t he
politeilceamle notfts h icso njunc(ttuhrpeeo licoifte hsCe o mmun­
isPta rtitehses, p liintt hei nternatiCoonmamlu nimsotv ement).
Theyd eawli tthh ei deologaincdtal h eoretpircoabll epmrse sent
int hec onjuncatnurdpe r oduc!ebdy i tI.n c ertariens petchtess e
probleamrsen ewo nesi;n o thetrhse rye feursb ackt od ebates
whichh avel ongc haractertihzehe ids toorfyt hew orkres'
movement.
A consideroaftt hireo ne ceelnetm eonftt sh icso njuncrteuvreea ls
thasti,n ceS ta'lisdn eatthh,Ie nternatioCnoamlm unimsotv ement
hasl iveidna conjuncdtuormien atedb yt wog reaetv enttsh:e
critiqoufte h 'ec uolftp ersonalitthyTe'w ebnyt iCeotnhg reasnsd,
ther uptutrhea hta so ccurrbeedt weetnh eC hineCsoem munist
Partya ndt heS oviCeotm muniPsatr ty.
Thed enunciaotfti ho'enc ulotfp ersonaltihteay b'r,u pcto ndi­
tionasn dt hef ormisn w hiciht t ookpl achea,v eh adp rofound
repercussionnso,to nliyn t hep olitdiocmaali bnu,t i nt hei deolo­
gicadlom aians w elIln.w hatf olloIw ssh aldle aoln lwyi tthh e
ideologriecaaclt ioofnC so mmuniisntt ellectuals.
Thec ritioqfuS et alin'di osgtm atiswma's g enera'llliyv ed'
by Communisitn tellectausaa' l 'sl iberatTihoin's'l .i beration'
gavbei rtht oa profouindde ologriecaaclt i'olni,b earnadl' 'e thi­
cali'nt endenwchyi,c shp ontaneoruesdliys covtehreoe lddp hilo­
sophitchaelm eosf' freedo'mm'a,n 't,h e' humapne rosn' and
'alienatiTohni'si. d eologtiecnald enlcoyo kefdo rt heoretical
justifictaotM iaornx 'Esa rlWyo rksw,h icdho i ndeecdo ntaailnl
thea rgumenotfas p hilosoopfhm ya n,h isa lienaatnidol ni bera­
tionT.h esceo nditihoanvsep aradoxitcaulrlnyet dh et abliens
Marxipshti losopShiyn.ct eh e1 930Msa rx'Esa rlWyo rks have
beean w ar-hofrospree ttbyo urgeois intientl hleesictrtr uuaglgsl e
againMsatr xisbmu;tl itbtyll ei ttalnedt, h emna ssivtehleyhy,a ve
beesne tto w orki nt hien teroefsa tn se w' interpreotfaM tairoxn­'
ismw hicihst odabye inogp enldye velobpyem da nyC ommunist
intellec'tluiablesr,fa rteoSdmt' a lidnoigsmta tibsytm h Tew entieth
CongreTshse.t hemeosf M'a rxiHsutm anisamn'd t h'eh umanist'
interpretoaftM iaornx 'wso rkh avep rogressainvdei lryr esistibly
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