Socialism & Philosophy

by Antonio Labriola

Originally written between 1897 and 1899 as a series of long letters to Sorel, this book provides an account of socialism that was studiously ignored by both the Second and Third Internationals. It includes the previously unavailable "Fourth Essay," revealing Labriola's rejection of the Marxist theory of history and the beginning of a racdical interpretation of Marxism later elaborated by the Frankfurt School. The extensive introduction by Paul Piccone proposes an important new reading of Labriola as qualitatively different from mainstream Second International Marxism, viewing his work as crucial for understanding the development of Gramsci and the tradition of Italian Marxism as well.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Antonio Labriola (Italian: [labriˈoːla]; July 2, 1843 – February 12, 1904) was an Italian Marxist theoretician. Although an academic philosopher and never an active member of any Marxist political party, his thought exerted influence on many political theorists in Italy during the early 20th century, including the founder of the Italian Liberal Party, Benedetto Croce and the leaders of the Italian Communist Party, Antonio Gramsci and Amadeo Bordiga.

Reviews

[Matteo Pedretti · Rating 2 out of 5]

la concezione materialistica della storia, capitolo 3

[Matthew]

I don't feel I missed much in skipping the lengthy introduction by the 'Telos guy.' Basically these are letters written by Labriola to Sorel on questions how to interpret and implement Marxist dialectic in a way that is Critical without falling into idealism.

The preface by Sorel, included here, was more useful than Piccone's (Telos guy) introduction.