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الفلسفة وفلسفة العلماء العفوية
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 Althusser’s most significant philosophical writings from 1965 to 1978; the majority previously untranslated. 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 philosophy is investigated; and “Marxism Today,” a sober balance-sheet of the Marxist tradition.
Attesting to the unique place which Althusser has occupied in modern intellectual history—between a tradition of Marxism which he sought to reconstruct, and a “post-Marxism” which has eclipsed its predecessor—these texts are indispensable reading.
Collected here are Althusser’s most significant philosophical writings from 1965 to 1978; the majority previously untranslated. 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 philosophy is investigated; and “Marxism Today,” a sober balance-sheet of the Marxist tradition.
Attesting to the unique place which Althusser has occupied in modern intellectual history—between a tradition of Marxism which he sought to reconstruct, and a “post-Marxism” which has eclipsed its predecessor—these texts are indispensable reading.
132 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
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About the author
Louis Althusser
179 books515 followersLouis 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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 30, 2020
The standout is the titular lecture on the Spontaneous Philosophy of the Scientists, contrasted marvelously by Lenin and Philosophy. The editors understood that the game with Althusser is one of doubling- double meanings, double inscriptions, statements with meaning produced in their absolute 'limits'. Probably the most concise demonstration of his epistemological position and Philosophy of Science outside of his contributions in Reading Capital, except here enunciated twice - once for scientists and then for philosophers, leaving the reader with the clear impression of what Althusser's political goal was. Eagerly waiting for the remaining lectures from that series to make their way to publication and translation.
June 2, 2016
A must read for the interested in the correlation between ideology, science and philosophy
July 2, 2024
One of the best books I've read in the domain of Marxist philosophy ever. The first two essays are illuminating in the relationship between theory, ideology, science, practice, ideological struggle, and philosophy. The 4-chapter series bearing the book's title was a very interesting read, I was a very big fan of the appendix 'On Jacques Monod'. Lenin and Philosophy was likely my favourite as the concept of applying Leninism in the domain of philosophy was something that produced results that are exceptional with regards to problems of traditional philosophy in terms of locating ultimate origins and logical foundations, instead situating it in a domain of theorisation where it does not have any inherent supremacy. Marxism Today, despite being rather short, was a very compelling left-critique of not only Stalinism but the overall history of Marxism, as well as an apparent rethinking of Althusser's conception of things like the merger theory/the party.
10/10 highly recommend.
10/10 highly recommend.
December 3, 2025
This collection really sharpens an idea that's been forming at the back of my mind recently, which is that Badiou is just Althusser but with Marxism swapped for Maoism and philosophy of science swapped for philosophy of mathematics. The reason this specific text clarifies this so much is that Althusser is specifically interested in clarifying the epistemological relations between various domains—in specific, politics, philosophy, and the natural sciences. As such, he draws specifically on the French epistemological tradition (he cites Bachelard but could just as easily be talking about Koyré) to bring philosophy of science to bear on these questions (one can see similarities with Badiou's preoccupations in plotting out the specific relations between mathematics, philosophy, and the four truth domains). For Althusser, Marx's claim that he was developing a "science" is not merely triumphalist for the contemporary Marxist, for, if we are to take the claim seriously, it also means that Marxism is subject to the same pitfalls as the natural sciences. What he terms the "spontaneous philosophy of the scientists" is the un-examined or pre-reflexive ideological assumptions under which the processes of the natural sciences operate, and that "crises" in the sciences cause to finally become questioned and re-worked, bringing the scientist back out into the domain of philosophy of science, before returning to scientific inquiry. Marxism as science, then, suffers the same potential lacuna of operating under a "spontaneous" ideology that would remain unchallenged unless a crisis forced it to be so. Otherwise, Althusser's exposition of Marxism can come off fairly unrevealing, and I think he is more insightful regarding Lenin elsewhere (namely, in On the Reproduction of Capitalism).
February 9, 2023
Interesting and surprisingly accessible. It did have an introductory feel to it all the way through, though. The last two essays - "The Transformation of Philosophy" and "Marxism Today" - were highlights, dealing with the ideological function of philosophy and the populist aleatorism of late Althusser, respectively.
December 30, 2024
Muy esclarecedor en cuanto a las tensiones generadas por las ideologías dentro del sistema tecno-científico contemporáneo. Está escrito en base a una exposición oral y por lo tanto es fácil de seguir tanto para filósofos como para científicos. Me ha ayudado a entender mejor los límites de la filosofía y la ciencia, como las dos deben interactuar y sus respectivas funciones.
May 20, 2022
Una excelente puerta para iniciarse en el pensamiento de Althusser.
July 16, 2017
A gem of Marxist philosophy.
January 28, 2015
Really good read for anyone who's getting deeper into structural marxism imo
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews