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In the book "Toward a Critical Theory of Nature: Capital, Ecology, and Dialectics" by Carl Cassegård, the author aims to establish a theoretical framework based on critical theory to examine the relationship between capitalist society and nature. Cassegård distinguishes his work from other theories by emphasizing the emancipatory potential of a theory based on Frankfurt School philosophy. While he successfully provides a theoretical foundation for a theory of nature based on critical theory, he falls short in providing concrete examples of practical application and a clear solution to the problem of utopia. However, his treatment of utopia demonstrates the optimism inherent in Dialectic of Enlightenment by illustrating its potential as a tool for criticism. The book consists of ten chapters that establish arguments for the validity of a critical theory of nature and situate it within the field of ecological critique. Cassegård's work is commendable for its academic rigor and philosophical ability, making it suitable for introductory students of Marxism and post-Marxist materialist philosophy, as well as scholars working in critical theory. [Extracted from the article]

A book review of Matthew J. Smetona's Recovering the Later Georg Lukács: A Study on the Unity of His Thought, which constitutes an important contribution to Lukács scholarship and to the debate on the concept of reification and its practical viability. Smetona embarks on a granular survey of Lukács's so-called later writings, offering a robust and widely useful elucidation of his critical philosophy, despite neglecting how the various conceptual reiterations made by Lukács himself in the critique of reification may strengthen or enhance its underlying philosophical argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the book "Marx's Political Philosophy" by G. Ávalos, highlighting its focus on Marx's political thought and its importance in the current capitalist crisis. The author emphasizes the originality and depth of the book, which offers a rigorous interpretation of Marx's method and its relationship with Hegel's philosophy. Furthermore, the importance of considering Marx's work as a science and the need to understand the concept of critique in his thought is highlighted. The article praises Ávalos' approach and his contribution in a world full of "non-truths". The author of the book emphasizes the importance of having a critical thinking that goes beyond Marx's ideas. Ávalos argues that the critique of Marx's political economy is based on its reference to the totality and systemic coherence of the current world. The book seeks to understand Marx's thought in his political writings and offers a broad vision of topics such as power, politics, and the State. Ávalos argues that power is constructed from ideas and values, and addresses the relationship between power and domination from a philosophical perspective. The book does not seek to simplify Marx's thought, but rather to offer a solid understanding of his political philosophy. The text is a review of a book on Marx's political philosophy. The author highlights the importance of understanding the nature of the State as a network of relations of domination. The relationship between the State and the imperative of capital accumulation is also mentioned. The book analyzes politics from Marx's perspective and explores concepts such as alienation, fetishism, and reification. Additionally, the relevance of John Rawls' theory of justice in the current context is discussed. The author concludes that it is necessary to understand the domination relationship of capital before attempting to reform the State. Overall, the importance of critical thinking and the influence of Marx in contemporary reflection are highlighted. [Extracted from the article]

J.F. Dorahy's The Budapest School: Beyond Marxism (2019) offers contemporary readers a conscientious assessment of the intellectual initiatives of Ágnes Heller, György Márkus, and Ferenc Fehér, both in the years immediately following their apprenticeship with György Lukács, and later, through their independent philosophical endeavours. Dorahy's book also pinpoints the Budapest thinkers' proposal for a radical democratic reckoning, and begins to suggest how that proposal might today bear on global practice and globally-minded theories. The book is an excellent introduction to the ideas of Heller and Márkus. But through them, it is also a striking and thoroughly relevant consideration of the possibilities for an ethics of planetary commitment, and for a critical theory fixed upon incorporating the vigorous rootstock of radical democracy with a multidimensional, pluralistic social order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lukács's phenomenology of capitalism: Reification revalued: Richard Westerman Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2019, xvii+308pp., ISBN: 978-3-319-93287-3 Westerman reinterprets Lukács's reification through the method of phenomenology, which sheds a very different light on his thought and presents us with a very different Lukács from the one we are familiar with. Westerman takes Lukács back to Hegel and Marx and affirms their important contribution and influence on his work. [Extracted from the article]

I review The Philosophy of Praxis by Andrew Feenberg, firstly, presenting a critical yet sympathetic summary of Feenberg’s argument, developed via Marx, Lukács and Marcuse. Despite sharing Adorno’s and Marcuse’s dismissal of proletarian revolution, he finds aspects of Marx and particularly Lukács compelling. Upon this synthesis he builds his own philosophy. Secondly, I argue that Feenberg’s treatment of Lukács’s 1920s work is unparalleled and may counter the systematic distortion to which it has been subject. He defends Lukács’s ontology with respect to nature and his politics, countering the charge of authoritarianism. Finally, I suggest that Feenberg tends to elide the analysis of the state and politics in Marx and Lukács, and that this distorts his understanding of the latter. I suggest a Hegelian interpretation of Lukács’s concept of mediation by way of parallel with The Phenomenology of Spirit. I conclude by suggesting the implications of this disagreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I review Georg Lukács Reconsidered and Georg Lukács: The Fundamental Dissonance of Existence from a Lukácsian point of view, informed by a close reading of his works from the 1920s. The essays in these books, despite their heterogeneity, contribute towards revivifying Lukácsian Marxism, both philosophically and literarily. Specifically, many of the contributors criticise Honneth's appropriation of the theory of reification, rejecting readings of Lukács that hypostatise or reify aspects of his theory. They begin to explore Lukács's labour-centred ontology and the resultant philosophy of praxis, most importantly, returning the emphasis to the mediations whereby reification is overcome as a process, in contrast to those who see him as a voluntarist or messianic thinker. This allows a deeper engagement with Lukács's theory of politics. While I contend that the authors explore this insufficiently, I conclude that these two books signify an important rediscovery of Lukács. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the short story "Hashiru kazoku" (Running Family) by Kuroi Senji. Particular focus is given to the protagonist's relationship to his car. It is suggested that the story illustrates the effects of reification in Japan during the second half of the 20th century. According to the author, the protagonist's subjectivity is determined by his discursive environment. Kuroi Senji's role in the so-called Introspective Generation of Japanese writers is also discussed.

The article reviews the book "Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea," by Axel Honneth.

The article reviews the book "Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea," by Axel Honneth, Judith Butler, Raymond Geuss and Jonathan Lear.

Axel Honneth was already recognized as the leading figure in the 'third generation' of critical theory, long before he took up, in 1996, Habermas's chair in philosophy at Frankfurt and the directorship of the Institut fur Sozialforschung. He has for a long time been reconceptualizing Frankfurt critical theory in terms of an originally Hegelian conception of recognition, and associated notions of respect and disrespect - a model which brings out a concern with human suffering which was a strong feature of the first generation of critical theorists. This volume of translated essays, together with a recent volume in German and his 2005 Tanner Lectures on reification, provides a good opportunity to triangulate Honneth's developing work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the book "Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea," by Axel Honneth, edited by Martin Jay.

The article reviews the book "Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea," by Axel Honneth, edited by Martin Jay.

The article reviews the book "Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea," by Axel Honneth.

The article examines the views on realism by the poets Ron Silliman, Steve McCaffery, and Bruce Andrews. The author analyzes the poets' views by first reviewing issues related to a debate over realism and modernism between philosopher György Lukács and poet Bertolt Brecht and revisions made by philosopher Louis Althusser. The concept of reification, or making something real, is also discussed in terms of the poetry of Sillima, McCaffery, and Andrews.

The article reviews the book "Agon Culture: Competition, Conflict and the Problem of Domination," by Claudio Colaguori.

The article reviews the book "Descent into Discourse: The Reification of Language and the Writing of Social History," by Bryan D. Palmer.

The article reviews the book "Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea," by Axel Honneth.

The article offers poetry criticism of the poem "The Intricacies of Pen Repair" by Stephen R. Roberts. It explores the use of metaphor, rhythm, and the aesthetics of stanzas. The poem is both clever and amusing, and through delicate shifts and surprising paths, and resonates with deeper meaning. The poet creates layers and resonances that reverberate later in the poem.

The article reviews the book "Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea: The Berkeley Tanner Lectures," by Axel Honneth, edited by Martin Jay.

Reviews the book "Shakespeare's Universal Wolf: Studies in Early Modern Reification," by Hugh Grady.