From Theoretical Phhosophy To Political Philosophy

Althusser’s radical interpretation in a revolutionary way of Marxist philosophy iscontroversial in academia, especially the “Political Writing” in his later periodopposed to the popular academic writing in Marxism. Althusser’s aim in all his lifewas to protect Marxist philosophy against bourgeois ideology erosion, but his theorywas not consistent: it had a change from theoretical philosophy to politicalphilosophy.In his early stage, Althusser criticized a kind of view which explainedmarixism in humanitarian, he used a scientific epistemology for Marx; after a series ofself-criticism, he advanced from the perspective of political philosophy to interpretMarxist philosophy.In this paper, the aim is to study Althusser’s Marxist philosophicalview under Althusser’s academic and historic background including sorting out thetransformation of Althusser’s thought; rethinking the relationship between theory andpractice, philosophy and politics, in order to clarify Althusser’s philosophicalcontributions. Although he tried to explain theory within Marxism, but it is undeniablethat Althusser deviated classical Marxism in some degree after1980.However, thispaper still believes that Althusser has a great academic value in interpretation Marxistphilosophy, his view illuminate another way for us to understand Marxistphilosophy.The research of this paper will in three steps:Firstly, philosophy is such a theory called theory of practice.Althusser started hisearly theoretical philosophy in criticizing humanitarian Marxism. Against the20thCongress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and early western Marxisttheorists, He proposed Marxism is an anti-humanism in theory. He examined therelationship of Marx, Hegel and Feuerbach under the method of general issue,criticized the accepted view which was Marxist theory inherited from Hegel, stagedMarxism under the epistemological rupture and obtained the opposition between ideology and science. Unlike the way of speculative philosophy of idealism andempiricism epistemology, Marx started his research called the theory of practice.Althusser trapped into a "theoretical tendencies" in his early stage and reflectedMarxist philosophy in later state.Secondly, the political has a character of philosophy. Althusser recognized thephilosophical aspirations of political practice by Machiavelli’s new monarch. Underthe French “May–Storm” and the criticism by France Communist Part, Althussermade a self-criticism about his early theoreticism tendency. Machiavelli did not seeknourishment from classical literatures and based on solving the "real thing" which hada great inspiration to Althusser. Aiding by Machiavelli’s void theory, Althusserproposed “Materialism of the Encounter” and as a foundation to review the politicalpractice of the proletariat’s direction and approaches. Due to the emphasis onaccidental and encounter and denied the inevitability that led no way in humanhistorical development. So the late Althusser’s philosophy deviated from Marxisthistorical materialism.Finally, philosophy has a character of politic. By examining the relationshipbetween politic and philosophy, Althusser obtained that philosophy was class strugglein the field theory. Lenin stressed the philosophical practice and Gramsci interpretedideology that made Althusser ponder over the relationship between philosophy andpolitics, philosophy and class struggle. As traditional western philosophy in the nameof truth to occupy the highest position above the other subjects, Althusser deniedphilosophy associated with truth, and identified the correctness of correlation betweenphilosophy and politic. In the classical Marxism works, ideology only has a passiveposition, but it also has physical properties by Althusser, it can play covertmicro-power by summoning the subject. If only put the ideology as falseconsciousness, rather than a pre-occupation of the ideological leadership, it wouldgive this area to bourgeois ideology. Philosophy can intervene reality by stating,dividing position, philosophy had a party character, If Marxism wanted to win theright in the theory of the field, it should reveal the secret of the production and the development of capitalist society and achieve the purpose of the leadership ofproletariat’s political practice by winning over the masses. In addition, due to the splitof the international communist movement, Althusser thought Marxism was in crisiswhich come from the inside of Marxism, so we had to acknowledge the crisis andrectify it.From the view of hermeneutics, a completely faithful interpretation to the text doesnot exist. Moreover, the late20th century of Althusser’s writing has already differentfrom half of19th century of Marx’s life, not only is no longer sharp contradictions ofcapitalism, and even the workers’ movement is no longer rising. Therefore, we believethat, under certain circumstances, Althusser made a radical interpretation is naturally.Because of this, we have a new perspective to understand Marxism, and only fromthis way, we can really inherit the Critical Nature of Marx "Political Writing".