Critical Realism and the Althusserian Legacy

Bibliographic Data

ID8975759
AuthorsBrian O’ Boyle (St. Angela's College (Sligo) National University of Ireland Galway, corresponding author), Terrence Mcdonough (Department of Economics National University of Ireland Galway)
Year2015
Volume46
Issue2
Pages143-164
Publication date2015-11-10
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal for the Theory of Social Behaviour (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-8308 • E-ISSN: 1468-5914
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jtsb.12092
OpenAlexW2101632451
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited12

This paper undertakes an historical re‐evaluation of Louis Althusser's philosophical legacy for modern Marxism. While Althusser self‐consciously sought to defend the scientific character of Marxism, many of his closest followers eventually exited the Marxian paradigm for a post‐structural post‐Marxism. We argue that this development was predominately rooted in a series of philosophical errors that proved fatal in a period of retreat for European socialism. There has always been, however, a second post‐Althusserian legacy associated with the critical realist conception of Marxism initiated by Roy Bhaskar. Bhaskar found part of his inspiration in Althusser's successful posing of the question of Marx's science and this paper sets out to excavate the proper links between Althusser and Bhaskar in order to deepen the relationship between critical realism and scientific Marxism

Aesthetics · Character (mathematics · Critical realism (philosophy of perception · Economics · Epistemology · Order (exchange · Period (music · Political science · Politics · Realism · Socialism · Sociology · Law · Marxism and Critical Theory · Mathematics · Philosophy · Political Economy and Marxism · Political theory and Gramsci

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