Esteve Morera has written a lucid and provocative book that challenges Gramscis conception of materialism. Through a detailed analysis of the Prison Notebooks, Morera demonstrates how philosophical materialism connects to understandings of the philosophy of praxis, organicism, human nature, ethics, and freedom. Ultimately, as Morera argues, returning to the question of materialism has the potential to provide the foundation for ethico-political praxis, the revitalization of the socialist project, and the creation of a new civilization.
Marcus E. Green, Otterbein University
In Gramsci, Materialism, and Philosophy Morera builds on his well-deserved reputation as a leading interpreter of the still vital philosophy of Gramsci. The great strength of the book is to bring the two estranged traditions in materialist philosophyhistorical and scientificinto needed dialogue. The result is a book that should be read by Marxists and naturalistic philosophers alike.
Jeff Noonan, University of Windsor
Gramsci, Materialism, and Philosophy
Western critical theory, Marxism included, has largely been based on a view of historical materialism that Gramsci, amongst others, developed in his prison notebooks. For many, Gramscis philosophical reflections in prison offered a new foundation for the philosophy of the future. His reflections on the philosophy of praxis and absolute historicism find echoes in much of what today is considered to be a materialist philosophy. The old form of materialism rejected by Gramci was unable to provide a sound foundation for a progressive social project, the possibility of a meaningful and creative ethical life, and the forms of activity or praxis that would be conducive to creating good society.
In this book, Esteve Morera connects Marxist philosophy to the broader philosophical discussion of materialism in metaphysics, the philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, and naturalized ethics. Each chapter deals with a particular aspect related to materialism and its consequences, the sorts of things that, if materialism is true, need to be confronted. Morera critiques and rejects Gramscis conception of matter and materialism and concludes that philosophical materialism is compatible with freedom and, as a consequence, offers a good foundation for ethical life.
Gramsci, Materialism, and Philosophy is an original contribution to the philosophically vital debates around the meaning, limitations, implications, and possibilities of philosophical materialism as it is a contribution to the critical literature on Gramsci.
Esteve Morera is an associate professor in the Departments of Philosophy and Political Science at York University. He is the author of Gramscis Historicism: A Realist Interpretation (1990) and a number of articles on Gramsci and Vico. His research interests include social and political philosophy, philosophy of history, critical theory, and continental philosophy, especially Vico, Kant, Marx, Croce, and Gramsci.
Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought
For a full list of titles in this series, please visit www.routledge.com
51 Deconstructing Habermas
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52 Young Citizens and New Media
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53 Gambling, Freedom and Democracy
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54 The Quest for Jewish Assimilation in Modern Social Science
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55 Frankfurt School Perspectives on Globalization, Democracy, and the Law
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56 Hegemony
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57 Governmentality, Biopower, and Everyday Life
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58 Sustainability and Security within Liberal Societies
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59 The Mythological State and its Empire
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60 Globalizing Dissent
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61 The Political Philosophy of Michel Foucault
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62 Democratic Legitimacy
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63 Edward Said and the Literary, Social, and Political World
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64 Perspectives on Gramsci
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65 Enlightenment Political Thought and Non-Western Societies
Sultans and Savages
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66 Liberalism, Neoliberalism, Social Democracy
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67 Oppositional Discourses and Democracies
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68 The Contemporary Goffman
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69 Hemingway on Politics and Rebellion
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70 Social Theory in Contemporary Asia
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71 Governmentality
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72 Gender, Emotions and Labour MarketsAsian and Western Perspectives
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73 Alienation and the Carnivalization of Society
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74 The Post-Colonial State in the Era of Capitalist Globalization
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75 The Psychology and Politics of the Collective
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76 Environmental Solidarity
How Religions Can Sustain Sustainability
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77 Comedy and the Public Sphere
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78 Culture, Class, and Critical Theory
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79 Environmental Apocalypse in Science and Art
Designing Nightmares
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80 Conspicuous and Inconspicuous Discriminations in Everyday Life
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81 Understanding the Tacit
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82 The Politics of Expertise
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83 Globalized Knowledge Flows and Chinese Social Theory
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84 Reconstructing Social Justice
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85 The Dialectics of Inquiry Across the Historical Social Sciences
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86 How Groups Matter
Challenges of Toleration in Pluralistic Societies
Edited by Gideon Calder, Magali Bessone and Federico Zuolo
87 The Politics of Rationality
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88 Gramsci, Materialism, and Philosophy
Esteve Morera
