On humanistic interpretation of Marx: Communism or narcissism?

This article analyzes two most widespread approaches towards interpretation of the humanistic content of Marx’s doctrine, which have developed within the framework of Western Marxism in the 19550s – 1970s. The first approach – Marxist humanism – describes humanism as the “initial” form of Marx's doctrine of the early period. The second approach – theoretical antihumanism – views the concept of “humanism” as ideological, unscientific and incompatible with Marxism. The analysis of modern Russian and foreign bibliographies indicates the existing ambiguity in assessment of both, Western Marxism and humanistic content of the original ideas of Marx, which defines relevance of this research. The novelty lies in the proposal to view Marxist humanism and theoretical antihumanism in conjunction with the historical establishment of Marx's theory, rather than in contraposition to each other. The author suggest to forgo the interpretation of Marx’s ideas from the perspective of humanism or antihumanism. Such interpretation not only idealizes and mystifies the content of his works, but also creates a prerequisite for narcissistic view of the surrounding material objects and nature. The latter thought is reflected in undertaken at the margin of “Capital” Marx's criticism of the commodity fetishism as one of the central elements of the capitalist manner of production.

Marxism in the Emergence and Fragmentation of Liberationist Christianity in Argentina

Studies of liberationist Christianity in Argentina have largely explained its emergence with reference to changes or continuities within the Catholic Church. This article instead analyses firstly how Marxist humanism, dependency theory and left nationalism shaped a rapprochement with Christianity in the 1960s, with Peronism often functioning as an intermediary. Moreover, it demonstrates the ways in which the ongoing ambivalent relationship between Marxism and the liberationist Christian movement in Argentina manifested in the fragmentation of the Movimiento de Sacerdotes para el Tercer Mundo (Movement of Priests for the Third World) in the first half of the 1970s. In doing so, it identifies Marxism not as merely a passive repository of ideas but as an active agent in liberationist Christianity's development, and adds a new layer of understanding of the dynamics and fragmentation of the movement.

Cornel West and Marxist Humanism

Humanity has experienced an explosion of anti-humanism in the form of authoritarian capitalism, postmodern filter bubbles, and global problems. Marxist/Socialist Humanism is the proper answer to the deep crisis of humanity. In this context, this article asks ‘How can Cornel West’s works inform a contemporary Marxist humanist theory of society?’ Taking West’s works as a starting point, what are the key elements of a Marxist humanist theory of society? Cornel West is one of the leading critical intellectuals today. His work has fused anti-racist theory, Black Liberation Theology, Marxist theory, pragmatism, and existentialism. This article especially focuses on West’s understanding of humanism and culture. It shows how his works and praxis can inform the reinvigoration of Marxist Humanism in the age of authoritarian capitalism as a socialist response. West’s thought can and should also inform the analysis of alienation, exploitation, domination, culture, the public sphere, the critique of ideology, and popular culture.

ON PERSONS AND ELEMENTALS: LATE-SOVIET SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY FROM MARXIST HUMANISM TO THE IDEA OF HOMO SOVIETICUS

The article considers the ideas of personality, humanity, and society in the works of four prominent Russian philosophers and sociologists: G. Batishchev (1932–1990), A. Zinovyev (1922–2006), Yu. Levada (1930–2006), and M. Mamardashvili (1930–1990). The main argument of the article is that the social philosophy of these thinkers evolved along similar lines, which the author describes as an evolution from Marxist humanism to the idea of the society of “Homo Sovieticus”. Comparing the notions of personhood and society expressed in the works of these thinkers, the author traces the shift in their conceptualization. Its starting point was a vision of a harmonious relations between the interests of the person and (Soviet) society. The endpoint was quite the opposite — the idea of their incompatibility. In the late period of their work, the philosophers developed a highly pessimistic view of social life in general. They saw it as a suffocating “communality”, while the people that inhabited it were perceived as semi-illusionary macabre creatures who lived by “natural” social laws. They viewed “civilization” as an antidote to “natural” sociality. At the same time, they developed survival strategies for presumed highly-spiritual “persons” in this harsh environment. The author argues that this intellectual trajectory might be a result of the institutional marginalization and ideological critique aimed at these philosophers. The article also analyses the discussion about the subject matter of philosophy in the late 1960s to early 1970s. It demonstrates that the discussion resulted in an unsuccessful attempt at realizing the development of Marxist humanist anthropology in the USSR. The article is based on fresh archival material which also includes an analysis of the criticism expressed against G. Batishchev and Yu. Levada for their “ideologically incorrect” understanding of the notion of the “person”.

An Exploration of the Raya Dunayevskaya Collection – Marxist-Humanism: A Half-Century of its World Development

Through an exploration of the Raya Dunayevskaya Collection, major themes of Dunayevskaya’s contribution to Marxist thought and action are presented. Her view of Marx as a philosopher of revolution in permanence, her interpretation of Lenin as a Hegelian-Marxist thinker-activist revolutionary, her reading of Hegel’s Absolutes as New Beginning for our age, her insistence that human subjects of social transformation are not alone muscle but Mind, are revolutionary Reason as well as force, and her efforts to work out and practice a dialectic of organisation and philosophy through the Marxist-Humanist organisation she founded, News and Letters Committees, are briefly discussed using documentation from her archives, which have recently been made available on the Internet.