Karl Marx’s Theory of Ideas

Abstract

JOHN TORRANCE: Karl of Ideas, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995, New York, 519 pp., $59.95. This erudite book is part of a series on Studies in and Social Theory devoted to developing Marxist thought and retaining what is and important in Marxism. Certainly Torrance attempts to do just that in a talmudic discussion of certain vital Marxist concepts. His focus is on removing accretions of various so-called Marxists who came after Marx, beginning with Engels, in order to get at what Marx actually had to say. And it is certainly true that many of ideas become misunderstood and distorted by his successors, sometimes unknowingly and sometimes purposely, with result that Marxism has become a hodgepodge. The fall of Soviet Union has been hailed as a proof that Marxism does not work by our politicians and servile popular media, but actually Soviet system was based on principles far removed from ideas. Is there anything left of concepts that has not been discredited and, more relevantly for readers of this journal, is there anything in Marx of value to a psychotherapist? The answer to former question remains disputed by sociologists and will not be resolved by study of this difficult book, but answer to latter question emerges nicely if one is patient with Torrance's methodical, plodding, and very carefully worked-out exegesis. Even in preface he tells us Marx's theories about ideas were mostly theories explaining how people's social relations and positions give them mistaken ideas about their social (p. xi). This topic will be sure to interest psychotherapists. Torrance's rather utopian hope that historical materialism still is the least deficient theory of history we have and indicates we are moving towards a post-industrial world and an end of capitalism will perhaps not be of interest. For psychotherapists focus is on such concepts as ideology, defined by Torrance (attributed to Marx and Engels) as denoting unscientific thought making truth claims vitiated by delusions or bias. False consciousness, according to Torrance's reading of Marx, refers to miscognition of reality due to social causes. . limitations or distortions of cognitive perspective due to social position, especially (but not exclusively) class position (p. 5). Ideologies arise from illusions due to such socially derived miscognition. Carrying this even further, from this point of view must be viewed as a socio-historical product, an emphasis congruent with views of Nietzsche, Mead, and others who emphasized social construction of self. So much for choice theorists who postulate presence of a rational conscious choosing essential subjects. Much work needs to be done by psychologists to explicate relationship between Kohut's sense of self and formation of through social interaction (see Chessick, R., Psychology of Self and Treatment of Narcissism, Northvale, N.J.: Aronson, 1993 for more on this). Marx gets credit for recognizing interplay of theory and consciousness. Theories arise from what seem to be apparent phenomena or appearances. But such theories influence consciousness, causing people to alter domain of appearances (p. 54). What better explanation could there be for plethora of theories in our field, each buttressed by clinical observations and yet each contradicting other. …