For Marx

Louis Althusser's For Marx (1965) attempts to fuse Marxism and structuralism. Althusser argued against interpreting Marx as a humanist philosopher focused on human nature. Instead, he proposed that the mature Marx, particularly in Capital, developed a scientific approach to history, emphasizing impersonal processes over human agency.1

Althusser posited an "epistemological break" between Marx's early philosophical views and his later scientific ones. He also highlighted the "quasi-autonomous" role of politics, law, and ideology in Marx's later writings, countering economic determinism. For Althusser, historical change stemmed from objective factors like the relationship between forces and relations of production, with consciousness being secondary. This perspective aimed to counter subjectivist philosophies and reassert Marxism's relevance.1