Party and Labour. Aspects of a Systematic Historical Research of György Lukács’ Philosophy

Abstract

In my paper, I focus on the “metaphysics of the Party” in History and Class Consciousness. I read its closing essay, “Towards a Methodology of the Problem of Organisation”, as a philosophical text in the strict sense of the word – which is not an empty statement, since the essay is typically regarded as no more than a commentary on the organisational theses of the Communist International. First, I shed light on the distant traditions (Lenin’s party theory on the one hand, and the Hegelian concept of institutionalized freedom on the other) that Lukács draws on; then I show how these elements are further developed by the philosopher and how he interweaves them. Finally, I clarify the function of this construction in Lukács’ systemic thinking and trace the path leading towards his late work: I show how a certain “metaphysics of labour” replaces “metaphysics of the Party” in Ontology.