Political Philosophy and Public Purpose: Reification Revalued

Westerman, Richard

This book offers a radical new interpretation of Georg Lukács’s History and Class Consciousness, showing for the first time how the philosophical framework for his analysis of society was laid in the drafts of a philosophy of art that he planned but never completed before he converted to Marxism. Reading Lukács’s work through the so-called “Heidelberg Aesthetics” reveals for the first time a range of unsuspected influences on his thought, such as Edmund Husserl, Emil Lask, and Alois Riegl; it also offers a theory of subjectivity within social relations that avoids many of the problems of earlier readings of his text. At a time when Lukács’s reputation is once more on the rise, this bold new reading helps revitalize his thought in ways that help it speak to contemporary concerns.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2018-08-30

Format: Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9783319932866

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-93287-3

Dimensions: 210cm x148cm

Pages: 308