Louis Althusser
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| + | "In his loyalty to the truth ''and to'' the Communist Party, [[Louis Althusser|Althusser]] could no longer remain Althusser. Thus, the world-famous Marxist philosopher, in a "psychotic" attack of mental confusion, as they say, [[Louis Althusser and Hélène Rytmann|murdered]] [[Hélène Rytmann|his wife]] on 16 November 1980, perhaps in one of those desperate states in which one no longer knows where the other begins and the ego ends, where the boundaries betwen self-assertion and blind destruction dissolve."--''[[Critique of Cynical Reason]]'' (1983) by Peter Sloterdijk | ||
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| - | '''Louis Pierre Althusser''' (Pronunciation: altuˡseʁ) ([[October 16]], [[1918]] – [[October 22]], [[1990]]) was a [[Marxist philosophy|Marxist philosopher]]. He was born in [[Algeria]] and studied at the prestigious [[École Normale de Musique de Paris]], where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy. He was a lifelong member and sometimes strong critic of the [[French Communist Party]]. His arguments and theses were set against the threats that he saw attacking the theoretical foundations of Marxism. These included both the influence of [[empiricism]] on [[Marxist]] theory, and humanist and democratic socialist orientations which manifested as divisions in the European Communist Parties, as well as the problem of the 'cult of personality' and of ideology itself. Althusser is commonly referred to as a [[Structural Marxism|Structural Marxist]], although his relationship to other schools of French [[structuralism]] is not a simple affiliation and he is critical of many aspects of structuralism. | + | '''Louis Pierre Althusser''' (16 October 1918 – 22 October 1990) was a French [[Marxist philosophy|Marxist philosopher]]. He was born in [[Algeria]] and studied at the [[École normale supérieure (Paris)|École normale supérieure]] in Paris, where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy. |
| - | ===Strangulation of his wife=== | + | |
| - | On [[November 16]], [[1980]], Althusser strangled his wife, Hélène Legotien née Rytmann, to death, following a period of alleged mental instability. The exact circumstances are debated, with some claiming it was deliberate, others accidental. Althusser himself claimed not to have a clear memory of the event, saying that, while he was massaging his wife's neck, he discovered he had strangled her. Since he was alone with his wife when she died, it is difficult to come to firm conclusions. Althusser was diagnosed as suffering from [[diminished responsibility]], and he was not tried, but instead committed to the Sainte-Anne psychiatric hospital. Althusser remained in hospital until 1983. Upon release, he moved to Northern Paris and lived reclusively, seeing few people. He continued to work and write, but published little. A notable exception is his autobiography, ''L'avenir Dure Longtemps''. He died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on [[October 22]], [[1990]] at the age of 72. Much of his post-1980 work has been published posthumously. | + | Althusser was a long-time member and sometimes a strong critic of the [[French Communist Party]] (''Parti communiste français'', PCF). His arguments and theses were set against the threats that he saw attacking the theoretical foundations of [[Marxism]]. These included both the influence of [[empiricism]] on Marxist theory, and [[humanist]] and [[reformist]] [[socialist]] orientations which manifested as divisions in the European communist parties, as well as the problem of the [[cult of personality]] and of ideology. Althusser is commonly referred to as a [[structural Marxist]], although his relationship to other schools of French [[structuralism]] is not a simple affiliation and he was critical of many aspects of structuralism. |
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| + | Althusser's life was marked by periods of intense mental illness. In 1980, he killed his wife, the sociologist [[Hélène Rytmann]], by strangling her. He was declared unfit to stand trial due to insanity and committed to a psychiatric hospital for three years. He did little further academic work, dying in 1990. | ||
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"In his loyalty to the truth and to the Communist Party, Althusser could no longer remain Althusser. Thus, the world-famous Marxist philosopher, in a "psychotic" attack of mental confusion, as they say, murdered his wife on 16 November 1980, perhaps in one of those desperate states in which one no longer knows where the other begins and the ego ends, where the boundaries betwen self-assertion and blind destruction dissolve."--Critique of Cynical Reason (1983) by Peter Sloterdijk |
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Louis Pierre Althusser (16 October 1918 – 22 October 1990) was a French Marxist philosopher. He was born in Algeria and studied at the École normale supérieure in Paris, where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy.
Althusser was a long-time member and sometimes a strong critic of the French Communist Party (Parti communiste français, PCF). His arguments and theses were set against the threats that he saw attacking the theoretical foundations of Marxism. These included both the influence of empiricism on Marxist theory, and humanist and reformist socialist orientations which manifested as divisions in the European communist parties, as well as the problem of the cult of personality and of ideology. Althusser is commonly referred to as a structural Marxist, although his relationship to other schools of French structuralism is not a simple affiliation and he was critical of many aspects of structuralism.
Althusser's life was marked by periods of intense mental illness. In 1980, he killed his wife, the sociologist Hélène Rytmann, by strangling her. He was declared unfit to stand trial due to insanity and committed to a psychiatric hospital for three years. He did little further academic work, dying in 1990.
