As relações entre ideologia e filosofia em Louis Althusser

Abstract

This research aims to examine Althusser's theory of ideology and its reflections on philosophy, investigating the interrelations between these concepts throughout his intellectual production. Althusser's theory of ideology can be conceived from two distinct moments: the first, of an epistemological nature, addresses ideology in relation to scientific knowledge, defining it as the "pre-history" of science. The second moment is characterized by a socio-political analysis, in which ideology plays a central role in the reproduction of relations of production, with the materiality of ideology, carried out through the Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs), as its original and central element. Simultaneously, Althusser develops his theory/conception of philosophy in general and Marxist philosophy—or the Marxist position in philosophy—in particular. These studies evolve throughout the philosopher's intellectual trajectory, initially conceiving philosophy in general as fully identified with ideology, while Marxist philosophy is closer to a scientific discipline. These understandings undergo successive reformulations, eventually leading to the comprehension of philosophy as, ultimately, class struggle in theory. The results of this study indicate that although Althusser's conceptions of ideology and philosophy initially develop in parallel, they progressively intertwine. Philosophy emerges as a "theoretical laboratory," playing a crucial role in unifying various secondary ideologies into a dominant ideology.