Truth and Revolution in Marx's Critique of Society : Studies on a Fundamental Problematique

This book deals with a central aspect of Marx's critique of society that is usually not examined further since it is taken as a matter of course: its scientific claim of being true. But what concept of truth underlies his way of reasoning which attempts to comprehend the social and political circumstances in terms of the possibility of their practical upheaval? In three studies focusing specifically on the development of Marx's scientific critique of capitalist society, his journalistic commentaries on European politics, and his reflections on the organisation of revolutionary subjectivity, the authors carve out the immanent relation between the scientifically substantiated claim to truth and the revolutionary perspective in Marxʼs writings. They argue that Marx does not grasp the world 'as it is' but conceives it as an inverted state which cannot remain what it is but generates the means by which it can eventually be overcome. This is not something to be taken lightly: Such a concept has theoretical, political and even violent consequences - consequences that nevertheless derive neither from a subjective error nor a contamination of an otherwise 'pure' science. By analyzing Marx's concept of truth the authors also attempt to shed light on a pivotal problematique of any modern critique of society that raises a reasoned claim of being true. Matthias Bohlender is Professor of Political Theory at the School of Cultural Studies and Social Sciences, Universität Osnabrück, Germany. Anna-Sophie Schönfelder is Research Associate at the DFG Collaborative Research Centre "Dynamics of Security", Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Germany. Matthias Spekker is Associate Lecturer in Political Theory and the History of Ideas and currently teaching at the Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Germany. The authors worked together in the DFG funded research project. "Marx and the 'criticism in a hand-to-hand fight' - On a genealogy of modern critique of society", Universität Osnabrück, Germany This book deals with a central aspect of Marxs critique of society that is usually not examined further since it is taken as a matter of course: its scientific claim of being true. But what concept of truth underlies his way of reasoning which attempts to comprehend the social and political circumstances in terms of the possibility of their practical upheaval? In three studies focusing specifically on the development of Marxs scientific critique of capitalist society, his journalistic commentaries on European politics, and his reflections on the organisation of revolutionary subjectivity, the authors carve out the immanent relation between the scientifically substantiated claim to truth and the revolutionary perspective in Marxs writings. They argue that Marx does not grasp the world as it is but conceives it as an inverted state which cannot remain what it is but generates the means by which it can eventually be overcome. This is not something to be taken lightly: Such a concept has theoretical, political and even violent consequences consequences that nevertheless derive neither from a subjective error nor a contamination of an otherwise pure science. By analyzing Marxs concept of truth the authors also attempt to shed light on a pivotal problematique of any modern critique of society that raises a reasoned claim of being true. Matthias Bohlender is Professor of Political Theory at the School of Cultural Studies and Social Sciences, Universitat Osnabruck, Germany. Anna-Sophie Schonfelder is Research Associate at the DFG Collaborative Research Centre "Dynamics of Security", Justus-Liebig-Universitat Gieen, Germany. Matthias Spekker is Associate Lecturer in Political Theory and the History of Ideas and currently teaching at the Leuphana Universitat Luneburg, Germany. The authors worked together in the DFG funded research project "Marx and the criticism in a hand-to-hand fight' On a genealogy of modern critique of society", Universitat Osnabruck, Germany Titles Published Titles Forthcoming Acknowledgments Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Problem Outline 1.2 A Problematization of the International Marx Discussion 1.3 Abstracts 2 “in its essence critical and revolutionary”—Truth in Marx’s Scientific Critique of Society 2.1 Communist or Scientific Critique?—An Outline of the Problem 2.2 The “Riddle of History Solved”—The Justification of Communism in Marx’s Early Work 2.3 The “real movement which sublates the present state of things”—A Radical Break? 2.4 “... man not yet masters the process of production”—Liberated Society in the Critique of Political Economy 2.5 The Consequences 3 Declining or Modern Forms of Rule? Marx on Revolution and Restoration in Europe 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Can the Necessity of Revolution Be a Headline? 3.3 Two European Regimes Against Class Struggle 3.4 Class Struggle Cannot Be Pacified 3.5 “the need and the natural necessity of the revolution is as general...” 3.6 Declining or Modern Forms of Rule? 4 Truth and Power—On the Critique of Revolutionary Subjectivation in the Work of Marx and Stirner 4.1 Exposition: Lukács and the Communist Party 4.2 Development: Marx Against Stirner—A Missed Dialogue 4.3 Reprise: The Critique of Communist Politics That Failed to Appear 4.4 Coda: Žižek and the Communist Party 5 Conclusion Bibliography Index