Abstract

Granier, who has distinguished himself by his writings on Nietzsche, seeks in a rethinking of Marx an antidote to the nihilistic crisis of our times. Specifically, he proposes a "philosophy of praxis" which must likewise be a "philosophy of interpretation." In many ways a sequel to his Le Discours du monde, the present volume intends to read Marx in light of the "integralism of the egoistic experience" elaborated in the earlier work. What this jargon means is that the basic Marxist concept of praxis understood as "production" will be seen as requiring both world and ego for its adequate comprehension. The ego experience underscores the prospective, the evaluative, and the pathetic characteristics of praxis. In other words, it makes room for the creative, passionate, individual project within Marxism that Sartre had demanded. The "worldly" dimension of praxis emphasizes its materiality as well as its grounding in society. Because of its first set of characteristics, the philosophy of praxis must be interpretive in nature; it cannot be a science in the usual sense of that word, much less in the sense ascribed to that term by Engels et al. But due to its foundation in being, i.e., in life, the productive character of praxis is derivative and social.