Open Marxism
Encyclopedia
Open marxism is a "school" of Marxism which draws on anarchist critiques of Party communism and stresses the openness to praxis and to history, the "practical reflexivity" of Marx's own concepts. The "openness" in Open Marxism also refers to a non-deterministic view of history in which the unpredictability of class struggle is foregrounded. The sources of Open Marxism are many, from György Lukács' return to the philosophical roots of Marx's thinking, to council communism
, from anarchism
to elements of Autonomism
.
Three volumes entitled Open Marxism were published by Pluto Press in the 1990s. Recent work by Open Marxists has included a revaluation of Theodor W. Adorno
. Those commonly associated with Open Marxism include John Holloway, Werner Bonefeld, Richard Gunn, Kosmas Psychopedis, Kostas Axelos and Helmut Reichelt
.
Axelos' variant of Open Marxism makes explicit connections to the existentialist
critique of systems theory
. He uses Martin Heidegger's
phenomenology to posit an open system of relations rather than a closed and deterministic totality
that could be known fully by Marxist theory. Despite this, Axelos tries to maintain the unity of knowledge, even if he sees the world as multidimensional and open (see world disclosure
for the phenomenological concept of world).
Council communism
Council communism is a current of libertarian Marxism that emerged out of the November Revolution in the 1920s, characterized by its opposition to state capitalism/state socialism as well as its advocacy of workers' councils as the basis for workers' democracy.Originally affiliated with the...
, from anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
to elements of Autonomism
Autonomism
Autonomism refers to a set of left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. As an identifiable theoretical system it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerist communism...
.
Three volumes entitled Open Marxism were published by Pluto Press in the 1990s. Recent work by Open Marxists has included a revaluation of Theodor W. Adorno
Theodor W. Adorno
Theodor W. Adorno was a German sociologist, philosopher, and musicologist known for his critical theory of society....
. Those commonly associated with Open Marxism include John Holloway, Werner Bonefeld, Richard Gunn, Kosmas Psychopedis, Kostas Axelos and Helmut Reichelt
Helmut Reichelt
Helmut Reichelt is a German economist and philosopher of the Frankfurt School. Reichelt is one of the main authors of the “Neue Marx-Lektüre” and considered to be one of the most important theorists in the field of Marx's theory of value.He studied economics, sociology and philosophy in Frankfurt...
.
Axelos' variant of Open Marxism makes explicit connections to the existentialist
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
critique of systems theory
Systems theory
Systems theory is the transdisciplinary study of systems in general, with the goal of elucidating principles that can be applied to all types of systems at all nesting levels in all fields of research...
. He uses Martin Heidegger's
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
phenomenology to posit an open system of relations rather than a closed and deterministic totality
Absolute (philosophy)
The Absolute is the concept of an unconditional reality which transcends limited, conditional, everyday existence. It is sometimes used as an alternate term for "God" or "the Divine", especially, but by no means exclusively, by those who feel that the term "God" lends itself too easily to...
that could be known fully by Marxist theory. Despite this, Axelos tries to maintain the unity of knowledge, even if he sees the world as multidimensional and open (see world disclosure
World disclosure
World disclosure is a phenomenon described by the German philosopher Martin Heidegger in his landmark book Being and Time. It has also been discussed by philosophers such as John Dewey, Jürgen Habermas and Charles Taylor...
for the phenomenological concept of world).
Further reading
- Axelos, K. ([1976] 1961). Alienation, Techne and Praxis in the Though of Karl Marx. Trans. R. Buzina. Austin: University of Texas Press.
- Axelos, K. (1984). Systematique ouverte (Open Systems). Les Editions de Minuit: Paris.
- Bonefeld, W., Gunn, R., Psychopedis, K. (ed.), Open Marxism, vol. 1: Dialectics and History (ISBN 978-7543-0590-3)
- Bonefeld, W., Gunn, R., Psychopedis, K. (ed.), Open Marxism - vol. 2: Theory and Practice (ISBN 978-7453-0591-1)
- Bonefeld, W., Holloway, J., Psychopedis, K. (ed.),Open Marxism - vol. 3: Emancipating Marx (ISBN 978-7453-0864-3)
- Holloway, J., Matamoros, F., Tischler, S. (ed.), Negatividad y Revolución: Theodor W. Adorno y la Política, 2007 (ISBN 978-987-22929-2-8)