From marxism to communist ideology

A Merleau-Ponty criticism

Abstract

This article aims to approach Merleau-Ponty’s thinking about communist ideology and the relationship with the marxist ascendancy that culminated in the bankruptcy of this ideology’s credibility. In the book The Adventures of Dialectics (1955), the philosopher proposes to think about the historical evolution of the concept of dialectics as a way of liberating forms of alienated political involvement. To this end, we will approach Merleau-Ponty’s concepts of history and dialectics, to later bring Merleau-Ponty’s criticisms of communist ideology. We emphasize, however, the recognition of the importance of Marx’s elaborations for the author. We will conclude by arguing that Merleau-Ponty’s political position is linked to his conception of history and dialectics, and with that, his criticism of the fates that marxism assumed because it was tied to the partisan movements of communist ideology.