Synopses & Reviews
The publication For Marx and Reading Capital established Louis Althusser as one of the most controversial figures in the Western Marxist tradition, and one of the most influential renewals of Marxist thought. Collected here are Althusser's most significant philosophical writings from the late sixties and through the seventies. Intended to contribute, in his own words, to a 'left-wing critique of Stalinism that would help put some substance back into the revolutionary project here in the West', they are the record of a shared history. At the same time they chart Althusser's critique of the theoretical system unveiled in his own major works, and his developing practice of philosophy as a 'revolutionary weapon'.
The collection opens with two lucid early articles - Theory, Theoretical Practice and Theoretical Formation' and 'On Theoretical Work'. The title piece - Althusser's celebrated lectures in the 'Philosophy Course for Scientists' - is the fullest exploration of his new definition of philosophy as politics in the realm of theory, a conception which is further developed in 'Lenin and Philosophy'. 'Is it Simple to be a Marxist in Philosophy?' provides an invaluable account of Althusser's intellectual development. The volume concludes with two little-known late pieces - 'The Transformation of Philosophy', in which the paradoxical history of Marxist philosopher is investigated; and 'Marxism today', a sober balance-sheet of the Marxist tradition. Attesting to the unique place that Althusser has occupied in modern intellectual history - between a tradition of Marxism that he sought to reconstruct, and a 'post-Marxism' that has eclipsed its predecessor - these texts are indispensable reading.
Review
"Althusser traversed so many lives--so many personal, historical, philosophical and political adventures; marked, inflected, influenced so many discourses, actions and existences by the radiant and provocative force of his thought--that the most diverse and contradictory accounts could never exhaust their source." Jacques Derrida
Review
"One reads him with excitement. There is no mystery about his capacity to inspire the intelligent young." Eric Hobsbawm
Synopsis
A classic philosophical study on how political and cultural ideas come to dominate."Verso's beautifully designed Radical Thinkers series, which brings together seminal works by leading left-wing intellectuals, is a sophisticated blend of theory and thought. The authors whose writings are included in the series have worked tirelessly to expose the mechanisms by which culture and knowledge are manufactured, managed and controlled."Ziauddin Sardar, New Statesman
Synopsis
This major voice in French philosophy presents a classic study of how particular political and cultural ideas come to dominate society. Spanning the years 1964 to 1973, On Ideology contains the seminal text, "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatus" (1970), which revolutionized the concept of subject formation. In "Reply to John Lewis" (1972-73), Althusser addressed the criticisms of the English Marxist toward On Marx and Reading Capital. Also included are "Freud and Lacan" (1964) and "A Letter on Art in Reply to Andre Daspre" (1966).
Synopsis
A classic philosophical study on how political and cultural ideas come to dominate.
Synopsis
This major voice in French philosophy presents a classic study of how particular political and cultural ideas come to dominate society.
About the Author
Louis Althusserwas a Marxist philosopher. He was born in Algeria and studied at the cole Normale Suprieure in Paris, where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy. He is the author of On Ideology, For Marx, The Spectre of Hegel, Reading Capital, Machiavelli and Us, and others.