Re: [Marxism] Engels on 'relative autonomy'

["Ian Pace" <ian@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Farmelant" <farmelantj@xxxxxxxx>
To: <marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 12:57 PM
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Engels on 'relative autonomy'


> On Sat, 22 Apr 2006 12:00:37 +0100 "Ian Pace" <ian@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> > I have been looking through lots of Engels' late letters on the
> > question of the relative autonomy of art (and science, philosophy,
> > etc.). Plenty of information here on this dialectical formation
> > (arguably made more so by 20th century Western Marxists - Adorno,
> > Gramsci, Althusser, etc.). But I can't find the specific phrase
> > 'relative autonomy' - can anyone direct me to the specific
> > letter/text where Engels uses this phrase, if indeed he does (and
> > point out the German original, if he was writing in German at the
> > time)?
>
> I don't think that Engels ever used that specific phrase.
> I think that you are confusing Althusser with Engels
> (more about that below).
>
> What I think that you have in mind is Engels' 1890 letter
> to J. Bloch, where he wrote:
> www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1890/letters/90_09_21.htm
> --------------------------------------
>
> Louis Althusser in his 1962 essay, "Contradiction and Overdetermination,"
> (www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/works/formarx/althuss2.htm)
> referred to Engels' letter to Boch, in order to support his case
> concerning relative autonomy.
Thanks, I know that letter to Bloch - I just recalled actually seeing that
phrase attributed to Engels somewhere, but probably that was a
misattribution, wanted check. So is the word 'autonomy' (or rather Autonomie
or some other German term) ever used in Marx or Engels' work to indicate
such a thing? If not, when did the concept first originate - obviously I
know of Adorno and Althusser, but wondered if there were earlier precedents?

Solidarity,
Ian



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