Essays in Self-Criticism

by Louis Althusser

Contains all Lous Althusser's work published to date (1976) in the 70's. Three texts translated by Grahame Locke.

Genres: Philosophy

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Louis Pierre Althusser (1918–1990) was one of the most influential Marxist philosophers of the 20th Century. As they seemed to offer a renewal of Marxist thought as well as to render Marxism philosophically respectable, the claims he advanced in the 1960s about Marxist philosophy were discussed and debated worldwide. Due to apparent reversals in his theoretical positions, to the ill-fated facts of his life, and to the historical fortunes of Marxism in the late twentieth century, this intense interest in Althusser's reading of Marx did not survive the 1970s. Despite the comparative indifference shown to his work as a whole after these events, the theory of ideology Althusser developed within it has been broadly deployed in the social sciences and humanities and has provided a foundation for much “post-Marxist” philosophy. In addition, aspects of Althusser's project have served as inspiration for Analytic Marxism as well as for Critical Realism. Though this influence is not always explicit, Althusser's work and that of his students continues to inform the research programs of literary studies, political philosophy, history, economics, and sociology. In addition, his autobiography has been subject to much critical attention over the last decade. At present, Althusser's philosophy as a whole is undergoing a critical reevaluation by scholars who have benefited from the anthologization of hard-to-find and previously unpublished texts and who have begun to engage with the great mass of writings that remain in his archives.

Reviews

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai apprecie mon temps avec ce texte d'Althusser. Loin d'etre un vrai auto-critique (au moins pour la plupart de l'introduction), il au meme temps renforce les positions qu'on peut anticiper par le premier Strucutral Marxist comme Louis, et en critiquant, faire renforcer pourquoi il a devenu tellement fameux dans les cercles de gauche. Il attaque les enoncements contre ses theories (et on peut supposer, ces de Balibar) en disant que meme s'il y avait des problemes ou les deviances d'une tendance idealiste, rationaliste, ou formaliste, la coeur de sa contribution a la lutte Marxiste retien une position dans laquelle la philosophie a ete utilise et peut etre abuser, mais que ca n'etait que pour y comprendre la conception de la lutte engager par Marx contre le bourgeoisie, c'est a dire pour evoquer les points qui existent dans Le Capital et engager la lutte en theorie par l'adoption et reappropiation de la terminologie structuraliste (mais qu'elle etait vraiment l'adoption des theories de Spinoza drapee dans la langue structuraliste et quasi-Freudienne). Recommends pour ceux qui ont deja apprecie Althusser et pour ceux qui cherche pour une explication et une defense contre les accusations d'un structuralisme dans le corps de ses travailles.

[sube · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a good collection of some articles of Althusser, most prominently "Reply to John Lewis" & "Essays in Self-Criticism" (c.f. title).

"Reply to John Lewis" is really brilliant in laying out the theoretical anti-humanist position in opposition to the thesis 1. "It is man who makes history." (actually: "It is the masses who make history", Thesis 2. "Man makes history by remaking existing history, by ‘transcending’, through the ‘negation of the negation’, already made history." (actually: "The class struggle is the motor of history") & Thesis 3. "Man only knows what he himself does." (actually: "One can only know what exists"). It is brilliant & his introduction of the category of "history as a process without subject or goal(s)" is brilliant.

Secondly, we now read his "Essays in Self-Criticism"; it addresses a number of issues in his previous works: 1. a "speculative-rationalist" deviation, i.e. the rationalist opposition of science (singular) and ideology (singular), 2. the category of theoretical practice, i.e. defining philosophy as a science - instead, philosophy is (to use a self-propposed schematic, but working definition) "philosophy is, in the last instance, the theoretical concentrate of politics", 3. a flirth with structuralist jargon, which went *beyond* acceptable limits.

Lastly, we have some additional essays and his big essay "Is it Simple to be a Marxist in Philosophy?", which mostly just develops common themes of his work further, e.g. concrete human individuals acting within the capitalist social formation as "bearer" of relations, "supports" of function, etc. It's interesting, but nothing you HAVE to read.

Generally it's an alright book, but it wasn't mind-changing to me - though Reply to John Lewis is a good summary of the theoretical anti-humanist position, I think. However, this piece is more worth revising with a deeper understanding pf philosophy, esp. Spinoza, which I atm lack, which likely clouds my judgement.

[Amar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully argued from Althusser. I love his snarkiness which is definitely heightened more here than in his other works.