Marxist humanism and existential Philosophy

John Wild

in: Jung (ed), Remembering John Wild, Continental Philosophy Review 44 (3), 2011.

Abstract

If we look at the intellectual life of our part of the world at the present time, I believe it is fair to say that there are two living philosophies which are actively growing and attempting to grapple with the concrete problems of living men. The analytic and linguistic philosophy which is still dominant in the Anglo-Saxon world, and which is absorbing much of our attention at this meeting,1 cannot be so characterized. It is preoccupied with abstract problems which, no doubt, have their place, but which are remote from the vital concerns of living men. One indication of this is its indifference to the issues of social and political philosophy. I do not believe that this separation of critical reflection from the issues of lived existence is a healthy condition, for as it widens and deepens, professional thinking becomes a mere academic game, and the thinking of living men becomes provincial and fanatical. So I am glad to note that this divorce is a relatively local phenomenon.