Domenico Losurdo 1941–2018, In Memoriam

Abstract

ABSTRACTDomenico Losurdo was convinced of the intrinsically political nature of philosophy: political judgment is the test that verifies or falsifies even the most complex metaphysics, which have no meaning if they are not related to the real world. Losurdo often had to defend himself against the accusation of political partisanship. Therefore, he was obliged to demonstrate constantly that he had mastered the history of modern and contemporary philosophy, together with its main theoretical nodes, better than anyone else. Over some 40 years of work, he showed a keen interest in classical German philosophy, studying its relationship with the French Revolution and altering our conceptions of it forever. He turned subsequently to examining liberalism, showing that it is not a theory of individual liberties but represents first and foremost the self-awareness of the “free” community who perceive themselves as “well-born,” that is, as aristocrats. Finally, he dedicated himself to the reconstruction of Marxism and historical materialism, starting from a redefinition of the concept of class struggle and undertaking a revaluation of “Eastern Marxism,” linked to the anti-colonial struggle, in relation to “Western Marxism.” His death leaves us poorer but the conceptual tools he forged will help us to continue his work.