Keywords
Althusser; Marx; Critical Theory; Structuralism; Alienation
Abstract
Louis Althusser labels Marx’s early works as humanist, pseudo-materialist, and self-contained within the ideology of German idealism. Therefore, all attempts to develop a Marxist theory based on these works are futile and ideological. Instead, Althusser proposes a ‘scientific’ reading of Marx developing a structuralist theory based on dialectical materialism. I argue that his interpretations deny individual agency and reduce social relations to mechanistic processes, which directly conflicts with fundamental Marxist ideas like alienation, production, and species-being. By discussing authors within the Marxist Humanist tradition, I argue that a theoretical framework based on Marx’s early works is not only possible, but more compatible with a revolutionary theory that seeks to integrate political praxis. I conclude that both theory and praxis—with an emphasis on individual freedom—are not mutually exclusive like in Althusser’s structuralism, but compatible and fundamental to a dialectical materialist system.
Thesis Completion Year
2025
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Flanagan-Feddon, Christy
College
College of Arts and Humanities
Department
Philosophy
Thesis Discipline
Philosophy
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Guerrero, Daniel, "Reconciling Theory and Praxis. Defending Subjective Agency Against Althusser's Structuralism - Daniel Guerrero" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 252.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/252
Included in
Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, History of Philosophy Commons, Political Theory Commons
Rights Statement
