On New Materialism Of Althusser

In the pedigree of Western Marxism, Althusser plays a very important role, not only because of his rejection of “humanitarianism Marxism” to “For Marx” on the firm stance appearance, more importantly, but also because of he upholding the basic position of Marxist materialism, and giving a new, more rich connotation of Marxist philosophy under the new historical conditions. Althusser had undertaken Marx’s unfinished cause of philosophy, and introduced a scientifically-reading and explanation according with the nature of Marxism in Marx’s text that is very easy to cause people’s various misunderstandings, yet to be clarified and supplemented, yet not put forward the questions. He asserted that Marxist philosophy did not born one after another with Marx opening the “science of history” of the New Word, after that, for a variety of philosophical ideology or philosophy bias(Hegelianism, economism, humanitarianism, dogmatism, etc), Marxist philosophy was ruled in a deep trouble and stalled, which is determined by the occasion of the birth of Marxist philosophy that is not yet mature. Althusser’s new materialism was born to adapt to this impasse that Marx’s philosophy was facing. Because in the opinion of Althusser, the timing of the birth of Marxist philosophy or its newborn has came. He rethought Marx’s materialist philosophy in “science / ideology” perspective, and on this basis, further determined the relationship between new and the old Materialism as well as the new Materialism and Hegelian philosophy, which is remarkable contribution to the Marxism. This work according to Marx’s materialism enlightenment, by creating new concepts and new forms of thought, paying attention to historical innovation or creation of Marxism not only revealed the strong vitality of Marxism, but also highlighted the contemporary value of Marxism.This paper discusses of Althusser’s new materialism from the following four parts: The first part reviews the political environment and academic field that new materialism had born in. Political environment as the external motivation of Althusser’s “return to Marx” that Althusser had been in produced a certain role in the determination of the relationship between Marx and Marxism, having urged to think about the meaning of Marx’s text, giving birth to the new materialism. The academic field that Althusser’s new materialism had born in is composed of structuralism, psychoanalysis and “humanitarianism Marxism”. Especially, the relationship between structuralism, psychoanalysis and new materialism would be reconsidered in the text. The second part studies new materialism in the horizon of “science / ideology”. New materialism’s identity is confirmed in the dual relationship with science and ideology respectively, thereby a constitutive relation has been formed between “science/ ideology” and new materialism, in addition, the “double representation”of new materialism also goes beyond the identity that was identified, through the form of a paradox in the practice of its delimitation between science and ideology and of class struggling in space of political topography that is full of folds and breaks; The third part investigated the difference between New materialism and Old materialism, pointed out that the distinction between New materialism and Old materialism is not the difference between two theories, philosophical categories or world views. The antagonism between them can be identified only in the problematic horizon of “science/ideology”, and only in the dynamic relationship of Old materialism as ideology and the dominant or invisible New materialism as “dual identity”or “dual game”.The forth part examines the relationship between New materialism and Hegel’s philosophy. In Marx’s text, this very important relationship has been in a state of ambiguity. The discrimination of this relationship not only plays an important role for Marxist, but also has an extraordinary meaning for the New materialism itself.