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Research Article Volume 2 Issue 1
Western Marxism’s misreading of marx’s critique of capitalism
Dong Xinchun
Received: November 11, 2017 | Published: January 3, 2018
Citation: Xinchun D (2018) Western Marxism’s Misreading of Marx’s Critique of Capitalism. Art Human Open Acc J 2(1): 00025. DOI: 10.15406/ahoaj.2018.02.00025
Abstract
Since its advent in the early 1920s, western Marxism has undergone a torturous process from anti-liberalism to virtually liberalism. The main theoretical deficiency behind this process is the over-estimation of Marx’s cultural critique of capitalism while neglecting his core tenet-the economic base determines the superstructure. In fact, Marx’s critique of capitalism is twofold, economic and cultural aspects. When the leading proponents of Soviet Marxism gave prominence to Marx’s economic critique, as circumstances required, they and some key figures in the Second International misread his theory with emphasis on economic determinism. In contrast, George Lukács and most western Marxists proceeded to develop a Marxian cultural critique with the consequence that they marginalized his economic research. Without the counterbalance of a continuous and consistent economic theory to challenge a confident international capitalism, the cultural critique is consequently reorganized in confluence with liberalism, which is centered on an individual ontology. Re-excavating Marxian dual critical theory, with his standpoint and method to perform a consistently comprehensive critique of capitalism taking economic foundation as the prerequisite, may help western Marxism escape the dilemma.
Keywords: Western marxism; Marx’s dual critique of capitalism; Economic critique; Cultural critique; Individual ontology
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