Althusser’s Dream: The Materialist Dialectic of Rationalist Empiricism

2021 ◽  
pp. 50-70
Author(s):  
Nathan Brown

Chapter 2 offers a detailed elaboration of Louis Althusser’s brief reference to “rationalist empiricism,” deploying this elaboration toward a reading of Meillassoux’s After Finitude as a work of “Marxist philosophy.” Althusser considers the defense of philosophical materialism as integral to the critique of idealist ideology, and therefore as essential to defending historical materialism (Marxist science) against ideological deviations. I flesh out this framework by comparing After Finitude to Lenin’s Materialism and Empirio-Criticism, arguing that Meillassoux fulfils more rigorously the project of Lenin’s early philosophical intervention.

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 292
Author(s):  
Robson Machado

 Com o avanço das forças neoconservadoras e neoliberais no âmbito da educação pública brasileira, os ataques e as tentativas de interdição da Pedagogia Libertadora e do legado de seu precursor, o professor Paulo Freire, têm se tornado cada vez mais frequentes. Sob ameaça, a teoria pedagógica humanista e progressista de Freire tem sido, equivocadamente, associada ao marxismo. Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar os pressupostos teórico-filosóficos da Pedagogia Libertadora, bem como as implicações de tais pressupostos no método didático-pedagógico de Paulo Freire. Para isso, destaca sua relação com a fenomenologia, com o existencialismo cristão e com a dialética idealista. Expõe divergências entre o ideário libertador e a filosofia marxista, contrapondo suas perspectivas ontológicas e epistemológicas. No que diz respeito ao método libertador, analisa-o a partir da compreensão de seu desenvolvimento ao longo da produção intelectual de Freire e evidencia sua relação com a Escola Nova. Toma como referencial teórico-metodológico o materialismo histórico dialético, pois o conjunto de ideias existentes em uma dada formação social, dentre elas as ideais pedagógicas, são determinadas pela produção material da vida.Palavras-chave: Contra-Hegemonia. Educação Popular. Marxismo.The phenomenology as a philosophical foundation of Pedagogia Libertadora: a historical-critical analysis of the theory of Paulo FreireABSTRACTWith the advancement of neoconservative and neoliberal forces within Brazilian public education, the attacks and attempts of interdiction of the Pedagogia Libertadora and the legacy of its precursor, teacher Paulo Freire, have become increasingly frequent. Under threat, Freire humanist and progressive pedagogical theory has been mistakenly associated with Marxism. This article aims to present the theoretical-philosophical assumptions of the Pedagogia Libertadora, as well as the implications of such assumptions in the didactic-pedagogical method of Paulo Freire. For this, it highlights its relation with phenomenology, with Christian existentialism and with the idealistic dialectic. It exposes divergences between the liberating ideology and the Marxist philosophy, opposing its ontological and epistemological perspectives. With regard to the liberating method, it analyzes it from the understanding of its development throughout the intellectual production of Freire and evidences its relation with the New School. It takes as a theoretical-methodological reference the dialectical historical materialism, since the set of ideas existing in a given social formation, among them the pedagogical ideals, are determined by the material production of life.Keywords: Counter-Hegemony. Popular Education. Marxism.La fenomenología como fundamento filosófico de la Pedagogía Libertadora: una análisis histórico-crítico de la teoría de Paulo FreireRESUMENCon el avance de las fuerzas neoconservadoras y neoliberales dentro de la educación pública brasileña, los ataques e intentos de interdicción de la Pedagogía Libertadora y el legado de su precursor, el maestro Paulo Freire, se han vuelto cada vez más frecuentes. Bajo amenaza, la teoría pedagógica progresista y humanitaria de Freire ha sido asociada erróneamente con el marxismo. Este artículo pretende presentar los supuestos teórico-filosóficos de la Pedagogía Libertadora, así como las implicaciones de tales supuestos en el método didáctico-pedagógico de Paulo Freire. Para ello, destaca su relación con la fenomenología, con el existencialismo cristiano y con la dialéctica idealista. Expone divergencias entre la ideología liberadora y la filosofía marxista, oponiéndose a sus perspectivas ontológicas y epistemológicas. Con respecto al método liberador, lo analiza desde la comprensión de su desarrollo a lo largo de la producción intelectual de Freire y evidencia su relación con la Nueva Escuela. Toma como referencia teórico-metodológica el materialismo histórico dialéctico, ya que el conjunto de ideas existentes en una formación social dada, entre ellas, los ideales pedagógicos, están determinados por la producción material de la vida.PALABRAS CLAVE: Contrahegemonía. Educación Popular. Marxismo.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Qi ◽  
Basel Jamal Ali

Abstract Marxism is a scientific theoretical system about the understanding of the regularity of nature, society and human thinking. Marxism mainly includes Marxist philosophy (i.e. dialectical materialism and historical materialism), political economy and scientific socialism, among which Marxist philosophy is the theoretical basis, political economy is the main content and scientific socialism is the core and highest goal of Marxism. When analysis is made of the histories of mathematics, philosophy and economics, we are led to the inference that philosophy, economics and mathematics have a natural internal connection. This paper mainly discusses the relationship between philosophy and mathematics and Marx's evaluation of and research on mathematics, and then tries to express some basic and important principles of Marxist philosophy and political economy with the tools and ways of mathematics (formulas), in order to understand the profundities of Marxism much more easily.


Transilvania ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 12-24
Author(s):  
Alex Cistelecan

The article (to be published in 2 parts) analyzes the expression and evolution of Marxist philosophy in communist Romania, as seen in the evolution of the official handbooks and courses of dialectical materialism and historical materialism. Its first part looks at the original Marxian foundations (Marx and Engels’ views on metaphilosophy and their actual philosophical practice), the Soviet mediations (the institutional and conceptual reconfigurations of Soviet Marxist philosophy until the death of Stalin) and the initial local configuration, as seen in the first two editions of the handbooks, published in the early 50’s and early 60’s respectively. The second part of the article will follow this evolution further, up to 1989, and will conclude by developing a series of observations on the uses and abuses of Marxist philosophy in communist Romania.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 03
Author(s):  
João Osvaldo Rodrigues Nunes

Desde a sua sistematização como ciência, a Geografia, seja através dos diferentes métodos de produção do conhecimento científico, ou das categorias e conceitos delineadores do pensamento geográfico, tem buscado a interdisciplinaridade com as diversas áreas da Geografia Física e da Geografia Humana. Tomando o método como o vetor de articulação na produção do conhecimento, o presente artigo, resultado da tese de Livre Docência, tem por objetivo refletir as inter-relações existentes entre Geografia, Natureza e Sociedade, tomando como base o materialismo histórico e dialético e o pensamento complexo na construção de uma Geografia que caminhe para a conjunção entre os saberes das áreas ambientais (Geografia Física) e das humanidades (Geografia Humana). A experiência de práxis vivenciada, conjugando teoria e prática, mostram a possibilidade de realização de estudos integrados na Geografia Contemporânea, tendo como vetor principal de condução o método, que neste caso é o materialismo histórico, através da dialética materialista e sua conjunção com a dialógica do pensamento complexo. É pela práxis que tenho realizado um modo de fazer Geografia que permite ao conhecimento ir para além da divisão entre o físico e o humano, no escopo da ciência geográfica.Palavras-chave: Geografia, natureza, sociedade, práxis, dialética materialista, pensamento complexo ABSTRACTSince its systematization as science Geography has searched interdisciplinary approaches with several areas from Physical and Human Geography by means of the different methods of the scientific knowledge production or by means of categories and concepts that delineate the geographical thought. So, taking the method as the articulation vector in the knowledge production, this thesis intends to meditate about the mainly references I have used to discuss Geography, Nature and Society including its inter-relationships, taking as basis the dialectic and historic materialism and the complexity thought in the construction of a Geography that can walks to merge the knowledges of the environmental areas (Physical Geography) and of the humanities (Human Geography). The praxis experiences lived joining theory and practice had shown the possibility of carry out integrated studies in the contemporary Geography, conducted by the method of the historical materialism thought materialist dialectic and its conjunction with the dialogic of the complex thought. It is by the praxis that I had done a way of doing Geography that allows to knowledge going beyond the edge between physical and human in the scope of the geographical science.Keywords: Geography, nature, society, praxis, materialist dialectic, complex thought


Author(s):  
João Miguel Patrocínio Salgado Rodrigues ◽  

In this essay I seek to explore the nucleus of Vasco de Magalhaes-Vilhena’s tought, a predecessor of historical materialism in philosophy in Portugal. For that, I will begin by giving an historical contextualization of the philosopher, followed by the analyses of two of his works. The first corresponds to the book that the author wrote about Antonio Sergio’s philosophical thought, another contemporary thinker. In it, we find one of the main theses of Magalhaes-Vilhena’s critique of philosophical idealism, a distinctive element of Marxist philosophy. The second corresponds to Fragmentos Sobre Ideologia ( Fragments about Ideology), a collection of texts written by the author while in his exile in France about the role of ideology in science and in society. In this collection we may find another of Magalhaes-Vilhena’s main theses concerning the unity of science. Lastly, I will make a few final considerations incorporating the historical analysis with both book analyses.


Cultura ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28
Author(s):  
Luis CORDEIRO-RODRIGUES

Marxist Philosophy as an explanation of social reality has, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, been largely neglected. However, some philosophers have contended that it may still be relevant to explain today’s social reality. In this article, I wish to demonstrate precisely that Marxist philosophy can be relevant to understand social reality. To carry out this task, I show that Marxist philosophy of law can offer a sound explanation of Animal law in South Africa. My argument is that South African law is a superstructure that reinforces the power of the animal farming industry in South Africa. That is, the hidden purpose of the law is to benefit the industry. In order to argue for this, I present two sets of arguments. The first set argues that the law facilitates the functioning of the animal farming industry. In the second set of arguments I contend that the law socialises individuals into approving the methods of slaughtering by the animal farming industry.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document