This coming Saturday (10 July) sees the start of a six-part summer course on Marxist philosophy. Classes take place in Hackney on Saturday afternoons. Full course details are below.


a 6-part course based on Marx's 'Theses on Feuerbach'



1. July 10 & 17
Why is crude materialism not good enough? (Theses 1, 9 and 10)

• What is 'crude' (ie. non-dialectical) materialism?

• What class interests does it reflect?
• How is it related to idealism?
• What is Marx's solution?
• How does this relate to Lenin's 'Materialism and Empiro-Criticism'?

2. July 24
Can we really know the world? (Thesis 2)

• What is wrong with Kant's ideas about 'the thing in itself'?

• What is the problem with Descartes' 'ghost in the machine'?
• What did Spinoza say?
• What is Marx's solution?

3. July 31, August 14
Are we products of our environment? (Theses 3, 5 and 8)

• How does this relate to Robert Owen's 'critical utopian socialism'?

• Is Draper's account of Owen ('The Two Souls of Socialism') correct?
• What is Marx's solution?
• Can there be a 'labour theory of cognition'?

4. August 21
What is religion? (Theses 4 and 7)

• What did Feuerback say?

• What did Hegel say?
• What was Marx's view?

5. August 28
What is the relation between essence and appearance? (Thesis 6)

• What did Hegel say about this?

• How is this connected to the abstract/concrete relation?
• Was Marx (in 'The Holy Family') right against Hegel on this?
• Why are these questions important for us?

6. September 2
Do we still need philosophy? (Thesis 11)

• Were workers 'the inheritors of classical German philosophy'?

• Has science developed as Marx and Engels expected?
• Must socialism come to the workers from bourgeois intellectuals?
• Where did Marxism itself come from?
• What did Lenin think about this?
• Why is Gramsci's view better than Kautsky's?

All sessions run from 1-2.30pm at Marcon Court Community Hall, corner of Amhurst Road and Marcon Place (nearest stations: Hackney Central / Hackney Downs - buses 253, 254, 106, 48, 55, 30, 38 all stop right outside the hall)

Please:

• bring some food to contribute to a light lunch for participants.

• make a donation towards the cost of the room and to help with childcare - we suggest £3 (waged); £1 (unwaged) per session
• let us know that you will be coming - ring Matt on 07984-431361

It is preferable to attend the whole course, but OK to come to some sessions but not all. We can organise 'catch-up' sessions if you miss a particular week's class.