Quote by Herbert Marcuse, Soviet Marxism,
Hypostatized into a ritual pattern, Marxian theory becomes ideology. But its content and function distinguish it from classical forms of ideology; it is not false consciousness, but a rather consciousness of falsehood, a falsehood which is corrected in the context of the higher truth represented by the objective historical interest.
Summary
This quote suggests that when Marxian theory is rigidly turned into a ritualized belief system, it becomes an ideology. However, it is different from other ideologies because it is not a form of false consciousness, but rather a conscious recognition of falsehood. The falsehood is corrected and replaced by a higher truth, which is based on the objective historical interest. In other words, the quote implies that while Marxian theory can be transformed into a dogmatic ideology, it also contains the potential to transcend this and uncover a deeper truth about historical realities.
Topics
Communism
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