How to Be a Marxist in Philosophy pdf

Louis Pierre Althusser (French: 16 October 1918 – 22 October 1990) was a French Marxist philosopher. He was born in Algeria and studied at the École normale supérieure in Paris, where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy.Althusser was a long-time member and sometimes a strong critic of the French Communist Party (Parti communiste français, PCF). His arguments and theses were set against the threats that he saw attacking the theoretical foundations of Marxism. These included both the influence of empiricism on Marxist theory, and humanist and reformist socialist orientations which manifested as divisions in the European communist parties, as well as the problem of the cult of personality and of ideology. Althusser is commonly referred to as a structural Marxist, although his relationship to other schools of French structuralism is not a simple affiliation and he was critical of many aspects of structuralism.Althusser's life was marked by periods of intense mental illness. In 1980, he killed his wife, the sociologist Hélène Rytmann, by strangling her. He was declared unfit to stand trial due to insanity and committed to a psychiatric hospital for three years. He did little further academic work, dying in 1990.

How to Be a Marxist in Philosophy pdf by Louis Althusser

In How to be a Marxist in Philosophy one of the most famous Marxist philosophers of the 20th century shares his concept of what it means to function fruitfully as a political thinker within the discipline and environs of philosophy. This is the first English translation to Althusser's provocative and, often, controversial guide to being a true Marxist philosopher.
Althusser argues that philosophy needs Marxism. It can't exist fully without it. Similarly, Marxism requires the rigour and structures of philosophy to give it form and focus. He calls all thinking people to, 'Remember: a philosopher is a man who fights in theory, and when he understands the reasons for this fight, he joined the ranks of the struggle of workers and popular classes.' In short, this book comprises Althusser's elucidation of what 'praxis' means and how necessary it continues to be to every political subject.
With a superb introduction from translator and Althusser archivist G.M. Goshgarian, this is a book that we re-inspire contemporary Marxist thought and reinvigorate our notions of what political activism can be.
"On 11 June 1984, Althusser called one of his many unreleased manuscripts to the attention of the Mexican philosopher Fernanda Navarro, who was to publish an introduction to his late philosophy in the guise of an interview in 1988. ‘I’ve reread a manuscript that comes under “philosophy”, a manuscript that, though it’s unfinished, seems pretty good to me. At any rate, I read the whole thing. It takes up the question of philosophy’s absolute beginning and Descartes’ feint in his “order of reasons”. Did you read it while you were here? I don’t disown it.’1 Coming from a past master in the art of self-deprecation, this counts as high praise. Navarro was fascinated by the manuscript: ‘Althusser showed me a philosophy manual for “non-philosophers” ... that I could use as a reference work for my project. Delighted, I began to discover it, to devour it.’2 It was in the light of this guided discovery that the Mexican philosopher patched together Filosofía y marxismo, the only philosophical text that Althusser was to release in the decade left him after he strangled his wife Hélène Rytmann in a fit of madness in 1980."