Alfred Schmidt's View On Marxism

This article is a study about Schmidt's view on Marxism. The main part of Schmidt's view on Marxism: what is Marxism and how to deal with the Marxism . The western Marxist generally reduces the essence of the Marxism to the philosophy. As a Western Marxist important representative, Schmidt Standing to the Frankfurt school of thought standpoint, based on to the Marxism profound and the unique understanding, has systematicly elaborated and proven Marx's philosophic thinking all his life. Therefore Schmidt's view on Marxism also mainly is his Marxist philosophy view. Schmidt's view on Marxism provides revelatory resources for developing Marxism, arguing against pragmatism. Today, we study Schmidt's view on Marxism not only has far-reaching historical significance, but with a strong practical significance.Schmidt's thought was formed in the insistent research of early Critical Theory of Frankfurt school, and developed in defending against the debates. Through explaining Marx's philosophy thought, Schmidt mainly demonstrates the thought of "critique materialism" of Frankfurt school and his ideas; As a non-classical Marxist, Schmidt follows M.Horkheimer and T.W. Adorno's view on Marxism in particular. He insists on the object first materialism, thinks Marxism is the critical theory of society, namely, Critical Materialism. And he extremely insists on the indispensability of Marx's critique of political economy instead of culture critique to the contemporary critical theory of society, as is different to other members in the Frankfurt School. In detail:First, in the philosophy natural view, Schmidt refuses to view the youth Marx as the exponent of an ahistorical ontology. Schmidt's understanding of Marx and Marxism emphasizes the social historical character of the concept of nature of Marx; And he argues that the philosophy of Marx aims at the criticism of "the second nature of nature" and the nonidentity of the subject and the object, because the biggest secret of the ideology lies in the identity, and in the philosophy the most core identity is the identity of the subject and the object, Schmidt reiterated ideology critique, which is the important subject of the Frankfurt school and even the entire West Marxism; He also elaborated the relation between Marx's natural view and the Marxian socialism theory. Revolving the question of the relation between the human and the nature, he have discussed the relation and the difference of Marx and all Utopia.Second, in the view of social history, Schmidt argues that "the West Marxism" based on the critical theory of society; Among them, he extremely insists on the indispensability of Marx's critique of political economy instead of culture critique to the contemporary critical theory of society. He reiterated the subject that Marxism is Hegel the Marxism, emphasized specially the mature Marx's "second appropriation of Hegel"; He criticizes the structuralist Marx's interpretation signifies an ontological regression, which falls into the snare of the bourgeoisie ideology; He defends the individual subject without neglecting the power of structure in pre-history; He discusses Gramsci's absolute humanism of history.Third, about the question of academic thought relation between Marx and the Engels, Schmidt doesn't agree to "opposite theory"or "consistent theory" abstractly, but emphasizes the evolution of the unity and the difference historically. Against Engels's effort to develop a supra-historical dialectic applicable equally to nature and society, Schmidt stresses the sociohistorical character of Marx' concept of nature. But as the same time, he also thinks there has the so-called natural diagnostic method in Marx there. And Engels should supple it. Therefore, Schmidt doesn't solutely negative Engels, and what he criticize to Lenin's reflections are right.Schmidt's view on Marxism has the profound theory significance and the intense realistic value.