To philosophize with open eyes is to philosophize in the dark. Only the blind can look straight at the sun.
Louis AlthusserRead
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
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the significance of language in social struggles, illustrating that even a single word can represent deeper conflicts.
Louis Althusser's quote highlights the concept that class struggles can often be encapsulated in the conflict between different words, suggesting that language is not merely a tool for communication but also a battleground for ideological warfare. The struggle for meaning and interpretation of these words reflects larger societal tensions and ambiguities that define class relations, demonstrating that the nuance of language plays a crucial role in how power dynamics are established and contested.
Themes
LanguageStruggleWordsConflictIdeology
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate about social justice, one might quote this to underline the importance of precise language.
More from Louis Althusser
All quotes →It is characteristic of ideology to impose self-evident facts as self-evident facts.
Louis AlthusserRead
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 AlthusserRead
Philosophy is, in the last instance, class struggle in the field of theory.
Louis AlthusserRead
Similar quotes
This life of ours...human life is like a flower gloriously blooming in a meadow: along comes a goat, eats it up---no more flower.
Anton ChekhovRead
Civilizations come and go; they conquer the earth and crumble into dust; but faith survives every desolation.
Will DurantRead
Magic is the mysteries into which not everyone is so lucky, or unlucky, as to be initiated. It can be affected by belief, the whims of the unseen, harsh language. And it is not. Supposed. To make. Sense. In fact, I think it's coolest when it doesn't.
N. K. JemisinRead
Science only answers the question, How does it work? Or at most, What's there? Science asks what and how, philosophy asks why, myth and religion ask who. Who's in charge here? Who's the author? That's what we really long to know.
Peter KreeftRead
What would happen if the autism gene was eliminated from the gene pool? You would have a bunch of people standing around in a cave, chatting and socializing and not getting anything done.
Temple GrandinRead
With disdain I will throw my gauntlet full in the fact of the world and see the collapse of this pygmy giant. Then will I wander god-like and victorious through the ruins of the world. And giving my words an active force, I will feel equal to the Creator.
Karl MarxRead