17+ Louis Althusser Quotes On Ideology

Louis Althusser was an Algerian philosopher who was born in 1918 in Algeria. He was a Marxist theorist and was a member of the French Communist Party from 1948 until his death in 1990. He was known for his works on Marxism, such as his book "For Marx" which was published in 1965. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Louis Althusser on ideology.

In truth, ideology has very little to do with 'consciousness', even supposing this term to have an unambiguous meaning. It is profoundly unconscious, even when it presents itself in a reflected form. — Louis Althusser

Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence. — Louis Althusser

Philosophy is, in the last instance, class struggle in the field of theory. — Louis Althusser

To philosophize with open eyes is to philosophize in the dark. Only the blind can look straight at the sun. — Louis Althusser

What art makes us see, and therefore gives to us in the form of 'seeing', 'perceiving' and 'feeling' (which is not the form of knowing,) is the ideology from which it is born, in which it bathes, from which it detaches itself as art, and which it alludes. — Louis Althusser

Ideology... is indispensable in any society if men are to be formed, transformed and equipped to respond to the demands of their conditions of existence. — Louis Althusser

The ultimate condition of production is therefore the reproduction of the conditions of production — Louis Althusser

In the battle that is philosophy all the techniques of war, including looting and camouflage, are permissible. — Louis Althusser

It is characteristic of ideology to impose self-evident facts as self-evident facts. — Louis Althusser

Occasionally, the whole class struggle may be summed up in the struggle for one word against another word. Certain words struggle amongst themselves as enemies. Other words are the site of an ambiguity: the stake in a decisive but undecided battle — Louis Althusser

Relations of production are first reproduced by the materiality of the processes of production and circulation. But it should not be forgotten that ideological relations are immediately present in these same processes. — Louis Althusser

One of the goals of philosophy is wage theoretical battle. That is why we can say that every thesis is always, by its very nature, an antithesis. A thesis is only ever put forward in opposition to another thesis, or in defence of a new one. — Louis Althusser

Ideology has very little to do with 'consciousness' - it is profoundly unconscious. — Louis Althusser

The economic class struggle is a struggle against inessanlty intensified exploitation: not only against the brutal material form of exploitation, capitalism's tendency to reduce wages, and against the class 'techniques' for increasing productivity... but also around the question of the technical-social division of labor that prevails om enterprises, and against bourgeois ideology and repression. — Louis Althusser

If someone asks, ‘But what in the end is a philosopher?’ I would say ‘A philosopher is a human being who fights in theory.’ — Louis Althusser

Without claiming to be exhaustive, I maintain that every philosophy reproduces within itself, in one way or another, the conflict in which it finds itself compromised and caught up in the outside world. — Louis Althusser

Whatseems to take place outside ideology (to be precise, in the street), in reality takes place in ideology. What really takes place in ideology seems therefore to take place outside it. That is why those who are in ideology believe themselves by definition outside ideology: one of the effects of ideology is the practical denegation of the ideological character of ideology by ideology: ideology never says, 'I am ideological.' — Louis Althusser

Life Lessons by Louis Althusser

1. Louis Althusser's work emphasizes the importance of understanding the power dynamics that exist in society and how they shape our lives. He argues that individuals are shaped by ideological structures and that these structures must be understood and challenged in order to create meaningful social change.
2. Althusser's work highlights the need for critical analysis and self-reflection in order to understand how our beliefs and values are shaped by the structures of power that exist in our society.
3. Through his work, Althusser reminds us that we must be aware of how our actions are shaped by the power structures that exist in our society, and that we must strive to challenge and dismantle them in order to create a more equitable and just world.