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Chapter 83 The Bible of Western Marxism
Chapter 82 The Bible of Western Marxism: "History and Class Consciousness"

Lukacs' "History and Class Consciousness" had a huge and lasting impact on the cultural history of the 20th century.he is on the horse
The method of Marxism, the alienation relationship of capitalism, the way of thinking of the bourgeoisie and the explanation of the consciousness of the proletariat, with a
This new method enriches dialectics and many concepts, corrects the tendency of mechanism in the development of Marxism, criticizes
Judged the Second International's understanding of the vulgarization of Marxism.The issues he discusses in this book have established the foundation of Western Marxism

It is no exaggeration to say that the development of Marxism in the 20th century was almost entirely influenced by Lucca
Oddly influenced by this book.

Analysis of Marxist Philosophy in "History and Class Consciousness"

Lukacs (1885-1971) was a famous Hungarian thinker and an early representative of Western Marxism.

His 1923 book History and Class Consciousness

Published, the book caused an uproar as soon as it was published, with countless criticisms and praises from all sides.Lukacs' life
Fate is inseparable from this book.Later, Lukacs went into exile in Berlin, Moscow and other places.

Consciousness has carried out many self-conscious or forced self-criticisms.

"History and Class Consciousness", as the pioneering work of Western Marxism, discusses quite a lot of issues, almost involving the later
Come to all the issues discussed in Western Marxism.In summary, Lukacs focuses on five aspects in this book
The problem.

Lukacs first conducted a unique study on the dialectics of Marxism. He pointed out that materialist dialectics is a revolutionary
dialectics.In his preface to History and Class Consciousness, Lukacs emphasizes that his main intention in writing the book is

It is to interpret Marx's theory according to Marx's thought, correctly understand and apply Marx's method, that is, the essence of dialectics

.He pointed out that it was in Marx's theories and methods that people finally found the correct way to understand society and history.Lu
Kach's first essay in History and Class Consciousness, "What is Orthodox Marxism?" "The focus clarified

The materialist dialectics of Marxism is the dialectics of revolution.Lukacs clearly pointed out that Marx

Marx's dialectics is materialist dialectics, and dialectics is the essence of Marxism.He is discussing Marxism

When emphasizing its methodological significance, he clearly pointed out that the dialectics of materialism is a dialectic of revolution, and that
This stipulation has decisive significance for understanding the essence of dialectics.So, how to understand the revolutionary debate that Lukacs said

What about the law?On this issue, Lukacs made an emphatic elaboration:

First, theory and practice are unified in essence, and theory is nothing more than the process of thinking in the process of revolutionary practice itself.

In terms of ideological expression, the most important purpose of Marx's dialectics is to understand reality.

Second, the core problem of dialectics is to change reality.Lukacs places special emphasis on the interaction of subject and object in the historical process

, holds that this is the most fundamental interaction, without which the dialectical method is no longer a revolutionary method, and war

A series of major problems of politics, crises and revolutions can only be resolved through a dialectical method.

Third, the total approach is at the core of Marx's dialectics.A holistic approach is the historical understanding of social relations

Methodological starting point and key.

The category of the totality reigns supreme and is the basis of revolutionary principles in science.

pillar.According to Lukacs, the overall and decisive dominance of the total category and the whole it contains over the parts
, is the essence of the method that Marx took from Hegel and ingeniously transformed it into the basis of a whole new science.

Fourth, Marx's materialist dialectics is mainly the dialectics of social history, that is, the correct way to understand society and history.

Because all facts and their interconnected internal structures are historical in nature, no fact is a product of historical development.

Only to be understood in constant change, and as far as their objective structure is concerned, they are also products of a certain historical period, all subject to

historical constraints.Therefore, Marx focused on the historical characteristics of capitalist society, while opportunism ignored the fact that
historical basis.The crudeness and ignorance of vulgar materialism consist primarily in obscuring the historical, i.e., temporal,

nature.

The second issue that Lukacs focuses on in this book is dialectical materialism and historical materialism and their application.

Lukacs viewed Marxism as a whole, he is
Using materialist dialectics, dialectical materialism and historical materialism in the same sense to express the fundamentals of Marxist philosophy
This point of view and its application, that is to say, he does not think that there is any difference in the connotation of these three terms.He never affirmed Marx

Criticism of Hegel's Absolute Spirit begins, clearly affirming the famous assertion of Marx and Engels that "the decisive factor in the historical process
In the final analysis, prime is the production and reproduction of real life", emphasizing that this is the liquidation of all idealist myths (including Hegel's
The Myth of the Absolute Spirit), accusing Hegel of failing to see the material basis of the economy and the real driving force that drives history forward
.At the same time, Lukacs also affirmed that Marx's idea that "it is not man's consciousness that determines man's existence, on the contrary, man's

"Our social existence determines people's consciousness" is the starting point of dialectical materialism. According to human history, Lukacs

The different characteristics of different stages of historical development, the structurally different objective conditions between capitalism and the eras before it

According to the historical situation, different laws occupy a dominant position in different social environments.Lukacs concluded from this
Said: Historical materialism as a scientific method can of course be applied to the pre-capitalist era, but it cannot
It applies to the various social forms of capitalism in exactly the same way as the various social forms of socialist development.

The third important issue that Lukacs discusses at the end of this book is the phenomenon of reification (alienation) in capitalist society and its overcoming.

This is also the core and key issue of this book.

Regarding this issue, Lukacs focused on the labor activities of workers and the alienation of their products.He pointed out that with the capitalist

development, the worker loses his initiative more and more because he does not appear to be the master of the labor process, and finally all human activities are alienated

The fate of the entire worker has been alienated.The fact that human functions become commodities precisely marks the relationship between human beings

Dehumanized and dehumanizing properties.In addition, the structure of alienation penetrates deep into human consciousness, thus forming the meaning of alienation.

knowledge.The most essential alienation of ideology and science in capitalist society is the loss of totality, which leads to the study of isolated events.
The actual specialized sciences cannot grasp the facts as a whole.Lukacs clearly recognized that the worship of all phenomena in capitalist society

The fetishistic illusion not only has the function of concealing reality, it also conceals the history of capitalist society, that is, the transitional and temporary nature
.Therefore, in order to understand the essence of capitalism and the realistic path of revolution, it is necessary to connect the capitalist production process with

Tie it up and investigate.The dialectical method must tear the veil of eternity of capitalist economic categories as well as their
Alienation veil.Lukacs identified alienation in capitalist society as a temporary and surmountable phenomenon.but only by making

Constant efforts, by concretely connecting the various contradictions that appear in the entire development, by realizing that these contradictions have an impact on the entire development

Alienation can only be overcome by breaking the existing structure of alienation through the inner meaning of development.and the integrity of capitalist society as a whole

Knowledge will enable the subject of knowledge, that is, the working class, to obtain such a monopoly position, which means promoting

abandon the capitalist economy.Therefore, the proletariat can overcome alienation if it adopts a truly practical attitude.a

What is remarkable is that in this book, Lukacs did not distinguish between the two concepts of reification and alienation, so when discussing the problem,
There are often some confusions.

Regarding the issue of class consciousness, Lukacs first investigated and studied the history of proletarian consciousness and its essential connotation.he clearly
He pointed out that class consciousness is a product of history, accompanied by a highly unified and highly socialized economic system or mode of production.
raw.It is neither the sum nor the average of what the individual individuals of the class think and feel, but the
A reasonable and appropriate reflection of a certain typical status in the production process.The class consciousness of the proletariat is the historical development of human society to capital

The inevitable product of the socialist stage.Lukacs clearly pointed out: Only the class consciousness of the proletariat can point out the danger of getting rid of capitalism.

machine way out.The process of mankind leaping from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom is closer to its goal, and the proletariat's concept of freedom
The greater the significance of the consciousness of its own historical mission, its class consciousness, the more powerfully and directly
Determines every action of the proletariat.Only the conscious will of the proletariat can save humanity from catastrophe.when capitalism

In the final crisis, the fate of the revolution (and the fate of mankind) depends on the maturity of the ideology of the proletariat, on its
class consciousness.The core of Lukacs' thought is that the revolutionary practice of the proletariat must have the class consciousness of the proletariat as the basis.
foundation, and the class consciousness of the proletariat must be transformed into the revolutionary practice of the proletariat in order to finally overthrow the capitalist system.

And free yourself and all mankind.

Lukacs also discusses another extremely important issue in this book, that is, the issue of social and concrete people.with heavy

Consistent with class consciousness and practical issues, paying close attention to and discussing human issues

It is also an important feature of the book "History and Class Consciousness".

The foundational work is controversial

In "History and Class Consciousness", Lukacs made many profound and correct points in clarifying and applying Marxism.

Opinions, especially on totality theory, materialization theory, class consciousness theory, and human subject agency theory.this
Made great contributions to society.Of course, because of this, he hadn't completely got rid of the influence of idealist philosophy at that time, and because of

Due to some objective reasons (for example, some important philosophical works of Marx have not yet been published), he failed to comprehensively and accurately
grasping Marxism, and thus in "History and Class Will" there are some obvious mistakes, which weaken the debate.

The materialist aspect of the law.

"History and Class Consciousness" is Lukacs' most important and by far the most controversial philosophical work.
There are obvious mistakes, so when it was published in 1923, it caused fierce debate.some people

I think this book is the most important work in the history of Marxist thought after Marx himself, and it provides a sufficient source for the communist movement.

A major effort to divide the philosophical foundations, well against the mechanism, fatalism and economic determinism in Marxism, re-

Established the role of man as the creator of history, and debated the historical mission of the proletariat and the importance of consciousness in history
For the first time, he systematically clarified the most important thing in Marxism, that is, dialectics.Others criticize
He opposed Marx to Engels, Hegelized Marxism, denied philosophical materialism, and rejected natural dialectics

law and reflection theory.People have long regarded the book "History and Class Consciousness" as the bible of Western Marxism.

(End of this chapter)