Sartre, Camus and a Marxism for the 21st Century
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Abstract
In 1952 Albert Camus wrote a caustic letter to Les Temps Modernes in response to the journal’s negative review of The Rebel, addressed, not to the author of the review, but to “M. Le Directeur,” i.e. to Sartre. Sartre’s response published in the journal ended their friendship. This article examines the deep cause of this rupture, Camus’s political views moving rightward, Sartre’s moving left. I examine Camus’s critique of Marx and Marxism, then ask the question, “What is Marxism, Anyway?” I defend a version of Sartrean “existential Marxism” as appropriate for our time.
Contributor Notes
David Schweickart is Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. His primary research interests are Marxism, philosophy and economics, feminist theory, existentialism, critical theory, and philosophical issues regarding race. Email: dschwei@luc.edu