From ’Theorism’ To ’Practice Is Higher Than Theory’-on Althusser’s Theory Of Ideology

Althusser is a famous contemporary western philosopher and Marxism theorist. As theprominent figure of Structuralism Marxism, Althusser played an important role in thedevelopment of Marxism. Althusser’s theory of ideology can be divided into early period andlate period. In early period, Althusser established an epistemology of the rupture betweenscience and ideology by acknowledging theory is higher than practice and analyzed theepistemological rupture in the development of Marx’s thoughts. In late period, Althusserestablished a theory of ideology which taking ideology as life world by acknowledgingpractice is higher than theory and analyzed the function of ideological state apparatus in theconstruction of ideology.This paper firstly analyzed Althusser’s theory of ideology in his two early importantbooks For Marx and Reading Capital. Although these two books had strong tendency oftheorism, they had inner differences. The theory of ideology in For Marx remained theanalyses of practical function of ideology under the fragment of theorism and therefore hadclose relationship with the turn of research from theory to practice in Althusser’s late period.Because Althusser’s analyses of ideology had close relationship with his analyses of scienceand philosophy, this paper combined the analyses of Althusser’s theory of ideology with histheory of science and philosophy. On this foundation, this paper then analyzed Althusser’stheory of ideology in his three late works Philosophy and Spontaneous Philosophy ofScientists, Ideology and Ideological State Apparatus and Self Critics. In late period, Althusserchanged his tendency of theorism and established a theory of ideology which taking ideologyas life world by acknowledging practice is higher than theory.