Research On Althusser's View Of State

The problem of state is the core of Marxist political philosophy.In order to oppose essentialism and the teleological view of state,Althusser reconstructed the Marxist view of state theoretically.From the perspective of topology,this paper systematically discusses the basic connotation,logical development and theoretical significance of Althusser's view of state based on the newly published On Reproduction and Philosophy of the Encounter,the important text of Althusser's late period.Althusser's view of state can be divided into two periods.The theory of ideological state apparatuses,which was put forward in On Reproduction,represents his early view of state.Since the 1980 s,Althusser's philosophical views have changed greatly,from structuralism to materialism of the encounter.Therefore,his view of state underwent a significant change,thus forming the late view of state of aleatory encounter.In the period of On Reproduction,Althusser made a radical interpretation of the Marxist view of state through the application of Spinozist structuralism and the topological methods.In order to illustrate the interaction and mutual reconstruction between the infrastructure and the superstructure,Althusser transformed Marx's topographic space of the society-state "building" into a topological plane,which is essentially a plane overdetermined and continuously reproducing production relations.Because Althusser could not fundamentally solve the contradiction between the determination in the last instance and overdetermine,he slipped to the position of aleatory encounter.The view of state of aleatory encounter rejects the "determination" of essentialism,and its foothold is the "non-determination" of anti-essentialism.This view of state provides theoretical resources for radical post-Marxist democratic politics.In essence,Althusser's position is ultimately the "determination" of formalist structuralism,although his early view of state suspended the determination in the last instance.Althusser's late view of state overflowed the boundary of structuralist Marxism and moved towards the post-structuralist position which is aleatory and non-determinate.The logical development of Althusser's view of state is a process from overdetermine to contingency and non-determination.In this process,the topological method makes it possible for Althusser to break through the shackles of structure and move towards deconstruction.The topological method is structuralist,but it contains the theoretical elements of postmodernism and post-structuralism.The duality of topological methods provides an opportunity for the transformation of Althusser's view of state.It is undeniable that Althusser's theory of ideological state apparatuses,in a certain degree,enriches and develops the classical Marxist view of state.Through the dimension of "reproduction",it explains the specific way in which the superstructure reacts on the infrastructure,that is,taking the individual "inquiry" as the subject through ideology.Through the concept of contingency,the view of state of aleatory encounter activates the Marxist state view overshadowed by the thinking mode of traditional philosophy,criticizes the interpretation of economic determinism and historical teleology of Marxist state view in form,and "defends" Marx in this sense.However,throughout Althusser's view of state,it is more a misreading of Marxist theory.On the one hand,Althusser "hollowed out" the epistemological content of the economic base with the method of topology,making it a formalized empty symbols.This empty symbol without content plays the role of "determination in the last instance ",and the specific economic base and historical facts do not take effect.On the other hand,the view of state of aleatory encounter exaggerates contingency and negates necessity,which is a complete deviation from dialectical materialism and historical materialism.The theoretical crux of Althusser's view of state is that he ignores the real individual and its active practical activities.The interpretation of Marxist theory must not leave out the viewpoint on practice and also the dialectics of practice.Althusser's "defense" of Marx is not in line with Marx's true thought,but a(post-)structuralist misunderstanding and misinterpretation.The main body of the paper is divided into five chapters: the first chapter discusses Althusser's thought and methodological resources of reconstructing Marxist view of state,and reveals its "heterogeneous" theoretical source and "hidden" methodological background;the second chapter analyzes the main content of Althusser's view of state in the period of On Reproduction with the method of topology,and reveals the structuralist essence of his thought and the contradictions in his theory;the third chapter discusses the theoretical content and ideological change of Althusser's view of state from the perspective of materialism of the encounter,and reveals the post-structuralist essence of Althusser's view of state in this period;the fourth chapter discusses the transformation of Althusser's view of state from structuralism to post-structuralism and its dual theoretical effects;the fifth chapter analyzes the innovation and theoretical limitations of Althusser's view of state from the standpoint of Marxism.