Utopianism and Marxism

ISBN-13: 9783039101375 / Angielski / Miękka / 2008 / 189 str.

Vincent Geoghegan

Opis

This is a reissue of an influential text that was first published in 1987, to which the author has added an introduction reflecting on the work twenty years after publication. The grounding assumption of the book is that an element of utopianism is a necessity in any political thinking, and that a self-conscious utopianism can generate a richer level of theory and practice. The text then follows the chequered career of utopianism in the Marxist tradition, arguing that Marxism has been unable to do without a utopian dimension but for various reasons has often resisted acknowledging this fact. It examines the origins of the Marxist critique of utopianism, and the various ways, either covertly or overtly, in which the utopian was reinserted into the tradition. It looks at the utopian socialist predecessors of Marxism, the ambiguous critique of the utopian developed by Marx and Engels, the complex debate over utopianism in the Second International, the authoritarian socialism that emerged in the Soviet bloc, and the consciously utopian thought of Ernst Bloch, Herbert Marcuse, Rudolf Bahro, and Andre Gorz. Throughout, the book seeks to combine rigorous scholarship with a commitment to a utopian frame of mind."

Recenzje

«No book I know does such a great job explaining what utopian thinking is, defending it, presenting its history and the contribution of its most important figures, and inspiring the reader to think more and more systematically about the kind of world he/she wants than Vincent Geoghegan's 'Utopianism and Marxism'. All this and impeccable scholarship and beautiful writing too. Highly recommended for any course that has as one of its main goals to help students think for themselves about the biggest problems of our day.» (Professor Bertell Ollman, New York University, author of 'Dance of the Dialectic: Steps in Marx's Method')
«This lucid and acute study of the paradoxical relationship between Marxism and utopianism has become an important reference for those interested in understanding both of these phenomena. Starting from an analysis of the ambivalent nature of Marx's and Engels's relationship with utopian modes of thinking, it draws attention to a disparate body of twentieth-century socialist intellectuals who exhibited a shared interest in exploring and promoting utopian themes and practices. At the heart of 'Utopianism and Marxism' is an incisive plea for progressives to take more seriously the visionary dimensions of political thinking.» (Professor Michael Kenny, University of Sheffield, author of 'The First New Left' in Britain)
«'Utopianism and Marxism' is a readable and rewarding text that would well serve the interests of utopian scholars, Marxist critics, political and social scientists, and anyone who thinks deeply about social organization and its relationship to social justice.» (Thomas J. Morrissey, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts)

Spis treści

Contents: Preface to Classics Edition - Acknowledgements to First Edition - Introduction: In Praise of Utopianism - The Utopian Socialists - Marx, Engels and Utopianism - The Second International - Golden Ages and Myths - Stalinism and Authoritarian Utopianism - Ernst Bloch and the Ubiquity of Utopia - Herbert Marcuse Turns to Sigmund Freud - Rudolf Bahro: East and West - André Gorz - Conclusion: Marxism and Utopianism.

O autorze

The Author: Vincent Geoghegan is Professor of Political Theory at Queen's University, Belfast. Besides Utopianism and Marxism he is also the author of Reason and Eros: The Social Theory of Herbert Marcuse (1981) and Ernst Bloch (1996). He is currently working on a book on interwar British religious radicals.