Consciousness and Reality Lenin’s Theory of Knowledge
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Published
Feb 15, 2025
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Abstract
The paper considers Lenin’s Materialism and Empirio-Criticism as an original work, aimed to interpret dialectics as a theory of knowledge. The paper explores the historical context of the book from a political, scientific, and epistemological point of view, and the different themes underlining the semiotic ideology of Empirio-Criticism. In this view, the criterion of truth which distinguishes dialectic materialism from other middle-class materialist approaches is provided by the transformative power of scientific theories. The dialectic theory of knowledge raises important research questions about the origin of both individual and social consciousness and its relationship with the image of reality. In this light, the book is philosophically still current today: the interpretation of knowledge as a dialectic process can explain the debate between realism and conventionalism in science without falling back on stereotypical metaphysical nor relativist philosophical positions.
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Keywords
Consciousness, Theory of Knowledge, Transformative Power, Realism, Semiotic Ideology
References
Althusser, L. 1968. Lenin and Philosophy. communication presented to the Société Française de Philosophie on 24 February 1968. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1968/lenin-philosophy.htm (retrieved 18/07/2024).
Althusser, L. 2015. Filosofia per non filosofi (Philosophy for non-philosophers), Bari: Edizioni Dedalo.
Ambrogio, I. 1971. Prefazione a Lenin (1971).
Bachelard, G. 1949. Le Rationalisme appliqué, Paris: PUF.
Berdyaev, N. 1949. Autobiografia spirituale. Milano: Jaca Book 2006.
Derrida, J. 1981. Positions. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press.
Donatiello, P., Ienna, G., and Galofaro, F. (eds.) 2017. Il senso della tecnica (The meaning of technique). Bologna: Esculapio.
Eco, U. 1999. Kant and the Platypus. San Diego, New York, London: Harvest Book.
Eco, U. 2012. Inventing the Enemy: Essays. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt. E-Book edition.
Engels, F. 1987. Anti-Duhring: Dialectics of Nature. Marx and Engels Collected works, vol. 25. New York: International Publishers.
Fineschi, R. 2021. Introduction to Lenin (2021)
Fodor, J. 1983. The Modularity of Mind: An Essay on Faculty Psychology. Cambridge Mass: MIT Press.
Geymonat, L. 1971. Storia del pensiero filosofico e scientifico, V: dall’Ottocento al Novecento (A History of Philosophic and Scientific Thought: From 19th to 20th century). Milano: Garzanti.
Geymonat, L. 1972. Storia del pensiero filosofico e scientifico, VI: il Novecento (A History of Philosophic and Scientific Thought: the 20th century). Milano: Garzanti.
Giacché, V. (ed.) 2017. Lenin: economia della rivoluzione (Lenin: economy of the revolution). Milano: il Saggiatore.
Gramsci, A. 1917. La Rivoluzione contro il Capitale (The Revolution against “Capital”). Avanti!, December 24th.
Gruppi, L. 1970. Introduction to Lenin (1970).
Husserl, E. 2006. The Basic Problems of Phenomenology. From the Lectures, Winter Semester, 1910/1911. Berlin: Springer.
Keane, W. 2018. On Semiotic Ideology. Signs and Society, vol. 6, no. 1: 64 – 87.
Korsch, K. 1938. Lenin’s Philosophy. In Living Marxism, Vol. IV, No.5.
Laudan, L. 1990. Science and Relativism: Dialogues on the Philosophy of Science. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
Lenin, V. I. 1977. The Three Sources Three Component Parts of Marxism (1913). Collected Works. Vol. 19, Moscow: Progress Publishers: 21-28.
Lenin, V. I. 2021. Quaderni Filosoci 1895 – 1916 (Philosophical Notebooks 1895 – 1916). Milano: Pgreco.
Lenin, V. I. 1962. Collected Works. Vol. 14, Materialism and Empirio-Criticism, 1908. Moscow: Progress Publisher.
Lenin, V. I. 1966. Collected Works. Vol. 34, Letters November 1895 – November 1911. Moscow: Progress Publisher.
Lenin, V. I. 1970 Materialismo ed Empiriocriticismo (Materialism and Empirio-Criticism). Roma: Editori Riuniti.
Lenin, V. I. 1971. Quaderni filosofici (Philosophical Notebooks). Roma: Editori Riuniti.
Losurdo, D. 2020. Il marxismo occidentale: come nacque, come morì, come può rinascere (Western Marxism: How it was Born, How it Died, How it can be Reborn). Bari: Laterza.
Lukács, G. 1972. History and Class Consciousness. Cambridge, Mass: MIT press.
Mao, Z. 2004. On Practice. In Selected Works, vol. I, https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/index.htm (retrieved 17/07/2024).
Marsciani, F. 2014. À propos de quelques questions inactuelles en théorie de la signification (On certain untimely questions in the theory of signification). In Actes Sémiotiques 117, https://www.unilim.fr/actes-semiotiques/5279 (retrieved 17/07/2024).
Marx, K. 1969. Theses On Feuerbach. In Marx/Engels Selected Works, Volume One, p. 13 – 15.
Nietzsche, F. 2002. Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Orfei, R. 1961. Gramsci tra Lenin e Croce e una mancata soluzione al problema dell’uomo (Gramsci between Lenin and Croce and a failure to solve the problem of man). Rivista di Filosofia Neo-Scolastica, Vol. 53, No. 2: 119 – 151.
Pannekoek, A. 1948. Lenin As Philosopher. New York: New Essays.
Rey, A. 1907. La théorie de la physique chez les physiciens contemporains. Paris: Alcan.
Russell, B. 1945. The History of Western Philosophy. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Searle, J. 1997. The Mystery of Consciousness. New York: New York Review.
Zhang, Y. 2014. Back to Marx: Changes of Philosophical Discourse in the Context of Economics. Göttingen: Göttingen University Press.
Althusser, L. 2015. Filosofia per non filosofi (Philosophy for non-philosophers), Bari: Edizioni Dedalo.
Ambrogio, I. 1971. Prefazione a Lenin (1971).
Bachelard, G. 1949. Le Rationalisme appliqué, Paris: PUF.
Berdyaev, N. 1949. Autobiografia spirituale. Milano: Jaca Book 2006.
Derrida, J. 1981. Positions. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press.
Donatiello, P., Ienna, G., and Galofaro, F. (eds.) 2017. Il senso della tecnica (The meaning of technique). Bologna: Esculapio.
Eco, U. 1999. Kant and the Platypus. San Diego, New York, London: Harvest Book.
Eco, U. 2012. Inventing the Enemy: Essays. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt. E-Book edition.
Engels, F. 1987. Anti-Duhring: Dialectics of Nature. Marx and Engels Collected works, vol. 25. New York: International Publishers.
Fineschi, R. 2021. Introduction to Lenin (2021)
Fodor, J. 1983. The Modularity of Mind: An Essay on Faculty Psychology. Cambridge Mass: MIT Press.
Geymonat, L. 1971. Storia del pensiero filosofico e scientifico, V: dall’Ottocento al Novecento (A History of Philosophic and Scientific Thought: From 19th to 20th century). Milano: Garzanti.
Geymonat, L. 1972. Storia del pensiero filosofico e scientifico, VI: il Novecento (A History of Philosophic and Scientific Thought: the 20th century). Milano: Garzanti.
Giacché, V. (ed.) 2017. Lenin: economia della rivoluzione (Lenin: economy of the revolution). Milano: il Saggiatore.
Gramsci, A. 1917. La Rivoluzione contro il Capitale (The Revolution against “Capital”). Avanti!, December 24th.
Gruppi, L. 1970. Introduction to Lenin (1970).
Husserl, E. 2006. The Basic Problems of Phenomenology. From the Lectures, Winter Semester, 1910/1911. Berlin: Springer.
Keane, W. 2018. On Semiotic Ideology. Signs and Society, vol. 6, no. 1: 64 – 87.
Korsch, K. 1938. Lenin’s Philosophy. In Living Marxism, Vol. IV, No.5.
Laudan, L. 1990. Science and Relativism: Dialogues on the Philosophy of Science. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
Lenin, V. I. 1977. The Three Sources Three Component Parts of Marxism (1913). Collected Works. Vol. 19, Moscow: Progress Publishers: 21-28.
Lenin, V. I. 2021. Quaderni Filosoci 1895 – 1916 (Philosophical Notebooks 1895 – 1916). Milano: Pgreco.
Lenin, V. I. 1962. Collected Works. Vol. 14, Materialism and Empirio-Criticism, 1908. Moscow: Progress Publisher.
Lenin, V. I. 1966. Collected Works. Vol. 34, Letters November 1895 – November 1911. Moscow: Progress Publisher.
Lenin, V. I. 1970 Materialismo ed Empiriocriticismo (Materialism and Empirio-Criticism). Roma: Editori Riuniti.
Lenin, V. I. 1971. Quaderni filosofici (Philosophical Notebooks). Roma: Editori Riuniti.
Losurdo, D. 2020. Il marxismo occidentale: come nacque, come morì, come può rinascere (Western Marxism: How it was Born, How it Died, How it can be Reborn). Bari: Laterza.
Lukács, G. 1972. History and Class Consciousness. Cambridge, Mass: MIT press.
Mao, Z. 2004. On Practice. In Selected Works, vol. I, https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/index.htm (retrieved 17/07/2024).
Marsciani, F. 2014. À propos de quelques questions inactuelles en théorie de la signification (On certain untimely questions in the theory of signification). In Actes Sémiotiques 117, https://www.unilim.fr/actes-semiotiques/5279 (retrieved 17/07/2024).
Marx, K. 1969. Theses On Feuerbach. In Marx/Engels Selected Works, Volume One, p. 13 – 15.
Nietzsche, F. 2002. Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Orfei, R. 1961. Gramsci tra Lenin e Croce e una mancata soluzione al problema dell’uomo (Gramsci between Lenin and Croce and a failure to solve the problem of man). Rivista di Filosofia Neo-Scolastica, Vol. 53, No. 2: 119 – 151.
Pannekoek, A. 1948. Lenin As Philosopher. New York: New Essays.
Rey, A. 1907. La théorie de la physique chez les physiciens contemporains. Paris: Alcan.
Russell, B. 1945. The History of Western Philosophy. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Searle, J. 1997. The Mystery of Consciousness. New York: New York Review.
Zhang, Y. 2014. Back to Marx: Changes of Philosophical Discourse in the Context of Economics. Göttingen: Göttingen University Press.
Issue
Section
Marxism Studies
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Consciousness and Reality: Lenin’s Theory of Knowledge. (2025). World Marxist Review , 1(4), 57−72. https://doi.org/10.62834/vwsrtc21