Synopses & Reviews
This much needed perspective represents a first step in the exploration of a long-ignored dimension of Marxist thought. Contributors, both Marxist and non-Marxist, from various countries reflect on such concerns as: the spiritual implications of Marxism and its critiques of economic determinism, alienation, and religion; what Marxism has to say to the more urgent spiritual issues of our time; and legacy of Marxism in a post-Soviet world.
Spirituality here refers less to religion than to questions of moral and esthetic value; issues of freedom, creativity, transcendence, and community; the meaning of life and of the struggle to create a better world. This book begins with a brief section from Trotsky and Che Guevara, and Vivian Gornick's work on American Communism, and with overviews of questions of spirituality in pre- and early Soviet Russian thought and in Western Marxism. It then presents the views of several contemporary Marxists, and concludes with contributions on spiritual issues in MarxisM&Apos;s dialogues with Christianity in both East Europe and Latin America, and with Buddhism.
Synopsis
This much needed perspective on Marxist philosophy sheds new light on the insights, challenges, and questions Marxism raises regarding the spiritual dimension of human life.
Synopsis
This much needed perspective on Marxist philosophy sheds new light on the insights, challenges, and questions Marxism raises regarding the spiritual dimension of human life. Contributors from various countries, both Marxist and non-Marxist, reflect on concerns such as: the spiritual implications of Marxism and its critique of economic determinism, alienation and religion; what Marxism has to say about the more urgent spiritual issues of our time; and the legacy of Marxism in post-communist countries.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [207]-214) and index.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Classic Visions
Socialism and the Human Future by Leon Trotsky, USSR
The New Socialist Man: The Dialectic of the Individual and the Collective by Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Cuba
Voices of American Communists by Vivian Gornick, USA
Background and Overview
Marxism and Spirituality: The Debate in Early Twentieth-Century Russia by Bernice Glatzer Rosenthal, USA
The Dream and the Reality: The Spiritual Crisis of Western Marxism by Costanzo Preve, Italy
Contemporary Marxist Views
The Spiritual in Marxism by Herbert Aptheker, USA
Spirituality in Marxism: A Communist View by Nancy Bancroft, USA
Why I Am Still a Marxist: The Question of Ontology by Zbynek Fiser (Egon Bondy), The Czech Republic
On the Spirit and Spirituality: An Essay in Categorical Analysis by M. S. Kagan, Russia
Marxism, Transcendence, and Spirituality by Boris Majer, Slovenia
Spiritual Impoverishment, Ecological Crisis, and Ecological Communism by Thomas Mongar, USA
Portrait of a Marxist as a Young Nun by Helena Sheehan, Ireland
Dialogues; Marxism and Christianity: East European Experience by Milan Machovec and Milan Opocensky, both of the Czech Republic
Marxism and Christianity: Latin American Experience by Jose Miguez-Bonino, Argentina
Marxism, Buddhism, and the Question of Human Suffering by Christopher Titmuss, England
References
Index