Philosophy

Jürgen Habermas (1929–2026): The philosopher who chose the state

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 04:50:17 GMT

Jürgen Habermas, who died on March 14 in Starnberg at the age of 96, occupied for more than half a century a position of extraordinary influence in German intellectual and political life.

1982: Marxism, the revolutionary party, and the critique of Healy’s Studies in Dialectics

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 02:12:54 GMT

The following lecture was delivered by Christoph Vandreier, the national secretary of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) of Germany to the SEP (US) International Summer School, held between July 30 and August 4, 2023.

Trotskyism and the fight for socialism today

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 22:40:29 GMT

In this interview with Austrian journalist Josef Mühlbauer, WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North speaks on the historical foundations of Trotskyism, the program of the International Committee of the Fourth International, and the fundamental problems confronting the working class in the fight for equality and socialism.

On the death of German writer Hans Magnus Enzensberger (1929–2022)

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 02:59:04 GMT

The intellectual life, literary and political history of Germany after 1945 cannot be imagined without the poet and writer Hans Magnus Enzensberger.

IYSSE in US holds successful meetings on postmodernism and identity politics

Fri, 10 May 2019 05:00:00 GMT

The meetings reviewed the right-wing, subjective idealist roots of the pseudo-left philosophies and politics that dominate college campuses.

Widespread student support for beleaguered professor Peter Boghossian

Thu, 17 Jan 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Despite threats of dismissal by Portland State University, Grievance Studies “hoaxer” Peter Boghossian is respected by students for his principled stand against postmodernist philosophy.

David North begins US speaking tour in Michigan to mark 80 years of the Fourth International

Thu, 25 Oct 2018 05:00:00 GMT

David North, chairman of the WSWS International Editorial Board, spoke on the lessons of the 20th century, the attack on Marxism and the fight for socialism today.

A discussion with Helen Pluckrose, co-author of “Grievance Studies” hoax article

Thu, 18 Oct 2018 05:00:00 GMT

The WSWS spoke to one of the authors of a recent study exposing the charlatanry that dominates postmodern-obsessed academic circles.

The “Grievance Studies” hoax exposes postmodernist charlatans

Sat, 13 Oct 2018 05:00:00 GMT

Helen Pluckrose, James A. Lindsay and Peter Boghossian have struck a well-timed blow against postmodernism, a reactionary obstacle to the development of scientific socialist consciousness.

A promotion of the “life-style” politics of the pseudo-left

Sat, 21 Jul 2018 05:00:00 GMT

As with all of Harvey’s work, the interview does not provide a clarification or guide to Marx but serves to prevent an understanding of his masterwork, seeking to render him suitable to the political and life-style sensibilities of a middle class “left” audience.

The racialist agenda of the “Decolonise Education” movement

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 05:00:00 GMT

The classification of philosophers based on their skin colour, rather than their place in the historical development of human thought, is combined with an attack on the entire progressive tradition of the Enlightenment.

Slavoj Žižek: From pseudo-left to new right

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 05:00:00 GMT

In an article published in Der Spiegel, Slovenian academic Slavoj Žižek gives free rein to his hatred of the oppressed.

The Frankfurt School, Postmodernism and the Politics of the Pseudo-Left: A Marxist Critique

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The polemical essays in this volume examine the complex interaction between history, philosophy and politics. The author defends historical materialism against contemporary anti-Marxist philosophical tendencies related to the Frankfurt School and postmodernism.

Foreword to The Frankfurt School, Postmodernism and the Politics of the Pseudo-Left: A Marxist Critique

Tue, 21 Jul 2015 06:14:30 GMT

The polemical essays in this volume examine the complex interaction between history, philosophy and politics. It is vital reading for those who wish to deepen their knowledge of classical Marxism.

The anti-Marxism of Yanis Varoufakis

Sat, 28 Feb 2015 04:52:08 GMT

Varoufakis completely distorts Marx’s analysis of capitalism in order to justify his program of trying to save capitalism from itself.

A key moment in the prehistory of the Enlightenment

Sat, 09 Aug 2014 07:02:08 GMT

Greenblatt’s controversial book The Swerve: How the World Became Modern won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and it has also come under attack as an “anti-religious diatribe.”

A further reply on Thomas Kuhn

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The following contribution from William Whitlow extends a discussion that began with his article last fall, Thomas S. Kuhn, post-modernism and materialist dialectics, and continued with a response by Philip Guelpa, A friendly response to William Whitlow’s comments on Thomas Kuhn.

A blow against the Post-Soviet School of Historical Falsification

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

The letter of 14 historians to the Suhrkamp publishing house in Germany calling on it to abandon publication of Robert Service’s biography of Leon Trotsky has opened the door for an honest and thorough examination of the role of Trotsky and the rise and fall of Soviet power.

Thomas S. Kuhn, post-modernism and materialist dialectics

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMT

William Whitlow replies to a reader’s inquiry about sociologist Thomas S. Kuhn, author of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.

The slaughter in Oslo

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 05:00:00 GMT

The murder of at least 92 people in Oslo signals the emergence of fascist terrorist violence animated by a hatred of Marxism and the working class.

Zizek in Manhattan: An intellectual charlatan masquerading as “left”

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The Slovenian academic Slavoj ‌‌Zizek spoke in New York Monday, wandering frenetically between complacent observations about austerity in Europe, warnings of ecological catastrophes and digressions into sado-pornographic facets of popular culture.

Letters on “The Nation, Jonathan Israel and the Enlightenment”

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:00:00 GMT

A selection of letters sent to the World Socialist Web Site on a recent essay by Ann Talbot and David North.

The Nation, Jonathan Israel and the Enlightenment

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 05:00:00 GMT

On 12 May this year, the Nation magazine published an article entitled “Mind the Enlightenment.” It is an intellectually unprincipled and vindictive attack on Professor Jonathan Israel’s multi-volume history of the development of the Enlightenment and its relationship to social and political radicalism in the century leading up to the outbreak of the French Revolution.

The ghost of Thomas Hobbes

Wed, 12 May 2010 05:00:00 GMT

A comment on an article by Corey Robin in the Nation magazine that lined up seventeenth century British philosopher Thomas Hobbes alongside the Italian Futurists and Friedrich Nietzsche as a “blender of cultural modernism and political reaction”.

A letter and reply on Theodor Adorno

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

This letter was written in response to the article, “German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk defends racist remarks by central banker.” It is followed by a response from the author of the article, Stefan Steinberg.

The “Hegel renaissance” and other questions

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Last year saw the publication of The Cambridge Companion to Hegel and Nineteenth-Century Philosophy. The volumes of the Cambridge Companion series contain collections of essays by scholars working on a particular philosopher or subject area.

The “Hegel renaissance” and other questions: Part 2

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The “Hegel renaissance” and other questions: Part 1

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Prominent academic offers modest proposal for reorganizing universities

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:00:00 GMT

In an opinion column published in the New York Times, Professor Mark C. Taylor, chairman of the religion department at Columbia University, takes as his point of departure a series of real problems that affect the university system in the United States.

Letters on Steiner, Brenner and Neo-Marxism: The Marcusean Component

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

A selection of letters sent to the WSWS on “Steiner, Brenner and Neo-Marxism: The Marcusean Component,” an essay by Adam Haig.

Steiner, Brenner and Neo-Marxism: The Marcusean Component

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

As a supporter of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) who has been following the political and philosophical charges of Alex Steiner and Frank Brenner, the author of this paper is interested in addressing their embrace of critical theorist Herbert Marcuse.

Letters on “The Frankfurt School vs. Marxism”

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The WSWS received the following letters on “The Frankfurt School vs. Marxism: The Political and Intellectual Odyssey of Alex Steiner” and “Marxism and Science: An addendum to ‘The Frankfurt School vs. Marxism’”

Marxism and Science: An addendum to “The Frankfurt School vs. Marxism”

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

This essay supplements “The Frankfurt School vs. Marxism: The Political and Intellectual Odyssey of Alex Steiner” by David North, recently published by the WSWS.

The Political and Intellectual Odyssey of Alex Steiner—Part 3

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The following is the final part of a three-part essay. The first part was posted October 23 and the second part was posted October 22. Click here to download PDF versions of Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

The Political and Intellectual Odyssey of Alex Steiner—Part 2

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In the autumn of 1978, as the Workers League was in the final stages of moving its political headquarters from New York to Detroit, Alex Steiner left the party without any explanation. Steiner had previously resigned from the movement in 1973, during a political crisis in the Workers League that culminated in the resignation of its national secretary, Tim Wohlforth. Steiner rejoined the party in the summer of 1974. But his second departure in 1978 brought his career in the revolutionary movement to an end. In his last discussion with me prior to his departure, Steiner said, “Life is very grim.” I often recalled these words, because they articulated not simply the personal dejection of an individual, but also the pessimism and demoralization of the broader milieu of petty-bourgeois radical intellectuals. Nevertheless, I regretted Steiner’s departure from the Workers League. Particularly after he rejoined the Workers League in 1974, we had collaborated on several theoretical projects. However, Steiner’s intellectual abilities were undermined by his extreme emotional volatility, susceptibility to discouragement when confronted with problems, and pessimistic view of life.

The Political and Intellectual Odyssey of Alex Steiner

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

This essay is a continuation of the polemic by David North, on behalf of the International Committee of the Fourth International, with Frank Brenner and Alex Steiner, two former members of the Workers League in the United States, whose criticisms of the ICFI were based largely on and defended the conceptions of the Frankfurt School.

Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Mehring Books has published a new book by David North, Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness, which is now available for purchase online. It was written in reply to a critique of the work of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), entitled “Objectivism or Marxism,” by Alex Steiner and Frank Brenner, two former members of the Workers League (predecessor of the Socialist Equality Party).

Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Mehring Books has published a new book by David North, Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness, which is now available for purchase online. It was written in reply to a critique of the work of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), entitled “Objectivism or Marxism”, by Alex Steiner and Frank Brenner, two former members of the Workers League (predecessor of the Socialist Equality Party).

Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Mehring Books has published a new book by David North, Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness, which is now available for purchase online. It was written in reply to a critique of the work of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), entitled “Objectivism or Marxism.”, by Alex Steiner and Frank Brenner, two former members of the Workers League (predecessor of the Socialist Equality Party).

Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Mehring Books has published a new book by David North, Marxism, History & Socialist Consciousness, which is now available for purchase online. Last Friday, we began publication of the book’s text. The Foreword was posted on August 17, and below we post Parts 1-3.

Atheism in the service of political reaction: A comment on author Sam Harris

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 05:00:00 GMT

In the recent review of Richard Dawkins’ new book, The God Delusion, Joe Kay mentions in passing the author Sam Harris, noting that the idealist standpoint of Harris and some of the other advocates of atheism is often bound up with reactionary political conceptions. (See “Science, religion and society: Richard Dawkins’s God Delusion).

Science, religion and society: Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 05:00:00 GMT

In his new book, Dawkins has done us a service, if only in making more acceptable the general proposition that religion and science are at odds with each other, and that it is science that should win out.

A closer look at Kierkegaard

Mon, 17 Apr 2006 05:00:00 GMT

Søren Kierkegaard: A Biography, by Joachim Garff, translated by Bruce H. Kirmmse. 867 pages, Princeton University Press, $35

Spinoza Reconsidered

Tue, 26 Aug 2003 05:00:00 GMT

I last reviewed Jonathan Israel’s Radical Enlightenment on this site in 2001 just after it came out in hardback. Why return to it now? The book itself would justify another review since it is a large and rich work that delves deeply into early Enlightenment history and repays reading and rereading. There is always something more to find in it. A first impression of such a book will inevitably represent a limited judgement and fail to do it complete justice. It is also now out in paperback.

Investigating the foundations of equality

Mon, 16 Jun 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Professor Jeremy Waldron’s latest book is an examination of the theory of equality put forward by the seventeenth century English philosopher John Locke. This is a subject that is highly relevant today as the widening social gulf between the super rich and the rest of the population increasingly undermines the political institutions that have been based on the maintenance of at least a measure of social and economic equality.

Spinoza revisited

Tue, 07 Aug 2001 05:00:00 GMT

To talk favourably of the Enlightenment has become something of a taboo in recent years. Some writers deny its existence, while others present it as a reactionary development. It is therefore refreshing to find a serious treatment of the intellectual trends of the late 17th and early 18th century that is not afraid to identify the Enlightenment as a progressive movement, which is associated with the rise of rational thought and a belief in equality and democracy.

An exchange with a reader on postmodernism

Mon, 04 Dec 2000 05:00:00 GMT

We received the following letter on the article “The post-modernist wonderland: Intellectual Impostures by Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont” [http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/jul2000/post-j01.shtml] posted July 1, 2000 on the World Socialist Web Site . A reply by the article's author Stefan Steinberg follows.