"A Century of Critical Theory: The Legacy of György Lukács" (4/1/23 panel)

On Saturday, April 1, 2023, the Platypus Affiliated Society hosted a panel discussion titled "A Century of Critical Theory: The Legacy of György Lukács" as a part of their 15th annual international Convention.

Description:
Strange as it is to reconsider Georg Lukács today after the demise of the Bolshevik experiment with which he was associated, the centenary marking the publication of his magnum opus, History and Class Consciousness: Studies in Marxist Dialectics (1923), offers the occasion to ask: What is the meaning of Lukács and HCC today? Over the last 100 years, various claims have been made of HCC. On the one hand, it is said to have inaugurated “Western Marxism” and set the foundation for the Critical Theory of the Frankfurt School. On the other, people have accused it of giving philosophical justifications for terroristic or opportunistic tendencies within Marxism–Leninism. We ask our panelists to consider the following: What is the relationship between political practice and theory that Lukács articulated in the revolutionary period of 1919–1925, based on his close reading of Lenin and Luxemburg? What in his critique of reification and defense of Marxist orthodoxy did the later Lukács disavow? What can we make of Lukács's legacy today? How have we received his investigation and elaboration of the problematic of Marxism? What are the essential issues raised for our time?

Speakers:
-Mike Macnair (Communist Party of Great Britain)
-Andrew Feenberg (Simon Fraser University)
-Chris Cutrone (Platypus Affiliated Society)

Respondent: Omair Hussain
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The Platypus Affiliated Society organizes reading groups, public fora, research, and journalism focused on problems and tasks inherited from the "Old" (1920s-30s), "New" (1960s-70s), and post-political (1980s-90s) Left, for the possibilities of emancipatory politics today.

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