200 years after he was born, Karl Marx’s philosophy seems to be more relevant than ever, since the debate about alternatives to capitalism has been reignited due to the financial crises. The emergence of New Right thinking and neo-totalitarian tendencies in Western societies as well as the crisis which European social democracy is presently undergoing have made Marx the reading material of the hour. As far as philosophy is concerned, Marx however has primarily remained alive as an author because he stands for a radical self-correction of modern philosophy. The articles in this special issue interpret Marx less as a philosopher who gives us clear answers and more as a thinker who helps to investigate the burning questions of the modern world. Gérard Bensussan: Marx und die Politik (Marx and Politics) – Christoph Henning: Marx und die Monster des Marktes (Marx and the Monsters of the Market) – Christian Iber: Marx’ kritische Anknüpfung an Hegels Denkfigur der Negation der Negation (Marx’s Critical Connection
to Hegel’s Figure of Thought of the Negation of the Negation) – Oliver Müller: Marx und die Philosophie der Technik (Marx and the Philosophy of Technology) - Sebastian Schwenzfeuer: Marx’ Theorie der sozialen Freiheit (Marx’s Theory of Social Freedom) – Steffen Wasko: Wirklichkeit nach Hegel. Marx, Bakunin und die Frage nach der Wirklichkeit (Reality According to Hegel. Marx, Bakunin and the Question of Reality)
Christian Iber : Revolution als Negation der Negation? Zu Marx’ Hegelrezeption
Abstract The article has three parts. The first part examines the problem of Marx’ use of Hegel’s concept of ›negation of negation‹ for the proletarian revolution in the ›Critique of the Political Economy. The second part discusses Marx‹ critical reception of Hegel’s concept of the ›negation of negation‹ in the excursus to the critique of hegelian dialectic and philosophy in general of Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts (= Paris Manuscripts) of 1844, namely in four sections: Firstly it is shown to what extent Marx follows Feuerbach’s position and in which respect he transcends it. Secondly Marx’ critique of Hegel’s system concerning the Phenomenology of the Spirit, the Science of Logic and the transition to nature and real philosophy is outlined. The third item discusses Hegel’s and Marx’ understanding of negativity, externalisation and alienation and fourthly Marx’ own position is outlined. The third part suggests an alternative interpretation of the myth of negation of negation of the revolutionary transformation of capitalist society regarding the later Marx writings.
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Steffen Wasko : Wirklichkeit nach Hegel. Marx, Bakunin und die Frage nach dem Verhältnis von Philosophie und Wirklichkeit
Abstract Despite their later conflictual relationship, the social criticisms of the scientific socialist Karl Marx and the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin developed with a striking parallelism. The aim of this paper is to outline those philosophical similarities of both protagonists of the workers movement in their early work. Starting from a critique of hegemonic idealistic philosophy in their respective milieus, both Bakunin and Marx problematize the relationship between philosophy and reality and finally develop a reflected concept of practice that can mediate between reason and reality and thereby closing a gap of idealism. This thesis is discussed on the basis of Bakunin’s Vorwort zu den Gymnasialreden Hegels and Marx’s Kritik der Hegelschen Staatsphilosophie.
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Gérard Bensussan : Politik als Übersetzung. Marx und die Revolution
Abstract In Marx and the tradition of thought which refers to him, politics is assigned to a superstructure based on an economic structure which determines its content, its place and function. However, in the revolutionary movement, in social democracy and communism, politics is rather determining than determined and designates a sphere of intense activity of the subject. Our analysis tries to think this contradictio in adjecto. It begins by thinking the abyssal difference between Marx’ thought of revolution as poetry of the future, as a language that has never been heard before, and the classic political analyses of Marx. The text argues that translation and political translatability help to explain this supposed contradiction and to put an end to the superstructural assignment of politics.
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Sebastian Schwenzfeuer : Marx’ Theorie sozialer Freiheit
Abstract Marx’s theory of social freedom refers to two different questions. First, it is about the question of the reality of freedom: In the difference between legal and social freedom, Marx’s critique of bourgeois society becomes possible. Although human and civil rights ensure freedom, it is reversed in social reality. Second, it is about the question of actual freedom: The critique of bourgeois society also opens the perspective on a freedom without reversal. This is the idea of communism, which is interpreted as a form of future existence in this paper. Communism is then actually a revolutionizing of the present and opening of a world.
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Oliver Müller : Marx und die Philosophie der Technik
Abstract Against the background that Marx’s deliberations on technology are hardly examined separately from his theory of economy and from the modes of production in capitalism, the article identifies some dimensions of his thinking that can be considered his ›philosophy of technology‹. In a first step, some of the passages in Hegel’s work will be commented, where Hegel elaborates his thoughts on ›means‹ and ›tools‹, since Hegel is one of Marx’s main sources. Secondly, in a close reading of Das Kapital and of the so called ›machine fragment‹, core topics of Marx’s philosophy of technology are presented and discussed. Thirdly, some lines to later approaches are drawn, in order to demonstrate that Marx discovered, in an impressive manner, central ›problems‹ of technology, but he developed his philosophy of technology only rudimentarily.
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Christoph Henning : Marx und die Monster des Marktes: Kleine philosophische Bilderkunde
Abstract This paper examines Marx’s visual strategies, a mode of critique that is rarely noticed. When Marx uses linguistic images, this is not a mere gimmick. Rather it reflects a systematic trait of his theory. For Marx, capitalism shows certain 'doublestructures’and thus produces contradictory effects, such as wealth and poverty, creativity and destruction. At the same time, however,capitalism also produces beautified images of itself, and thus often covers up the downsides. Hence Marx faces an uphill battle against appearances when he tries to uncover capitalism’s totality. As a side strategy to counter this drawback, he supplements his often complicated theories with intuitive counterpictures: images which instantly show the negative traits of capitalist production without simplification, since the images show ›double-structures‹ themselves. This visual strategy is demonstrated by two examples: the vampire and the werewolf. A second step then shows how another motive, the ›automatic subject‹, continues to have an effect beyond Marx’s own texts: in filmhistory. Thus these visual strategies are keeping alive a dimension of Marx’s criticism that has been largely neglected in contemporary social philosophy.