Hermeneutic Communism: From Heidegger to Marx

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Synopsis
Communism no longer represents an appealing alternative to capitalism, having lost much of its political clout and theoretical power. In its original Marxist formulation, communism promised an ideal of development, but only through a logic of war, and while a number of reformist governments still promote this ideology, their legitimacy has steadily declined since the fall of the Berlin wall. Separating communism from its metaphysical foundations, which include an abiding faith in the immutable laws of history and an almost holy conception of the proletariat, Gianni Vattimo and Santiago Zabala recast Marx's theories at a time when capitalism's metaphysical moorings—in technology, empire, and industrialization—are buckling. Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri call for a return of the revolutionary left, but Vattimo and Zabala fear this would lead only to more violence and failed political policy. Instead, they adopt an antifoundationalist stance, drawn from the hermeneutical thought of Martin Heidegger, Jacques Derrida, and Richard Rorty, that relies on interpretation rather than truth and is more flexible in different contexts. "Hermeneutic communism" leaves aside the ideal of development and the general call for revolution. It motivates a resistance to capitalism's inequalities, yet intervenes against violence and authoritarianism by emphasizing the interpretative nature of truth. Paralleling Vattimo and Zabala's well-known weakening of religion, Hermeneutic Communism realizes the fully transformational, politically effective potential of Marxist thought.
Copyright:
2011

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
268 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780231528078
Related ISBNs:
9780231158022
Publisher:
Columbia University Press
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Columbia University Press
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics and Government
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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