''The Principle of Hope'' (german: Das Prinzip Hoffnung) is a book by the Marxist philosopher Ernst Bloch, published in three volumes in 1954, 1955, and 1959, in which the author explores utopianism, studying the utopian impulses present in art, literature, religion and other forms of cultural expression, and envisages a future state of absolute perfection. ''The Principle of Hope'' has become fundamental to dialogue between Christians and

Marxists Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectic ...

Background

Originally written between 1938 and 1947 in the United States, an enlarged and revised version of ''The Principle of Hope'' was published successively in three volumes in 1954, 1955, and 1959. Bloch, who had emigrated to the United States in 1938, returned to Europe in 1949 and became a Professor of Philosophy in East Germany. Despite having initially supported the regime, Bloch came under attack for his philosophical unorthodoxy and support for greater cultural freedom in East Germany, and publication of ''The Principle of Hope'' was delayed for political reasons.

Reception

The philosopher

Leszek Kołakowski Leszek Kołakowski (; ; 23 October 1927 – 17 July 2009) was a Polish philosopher and historian of ideas. He is best known for his critical analyses of Marxist thought, especially his three-volume history, '' Main Currents of Marxism'' (1976). ...

calls ''The Principle of Hope'' Bloch's magnum opus, writing that it contains all his important ideas. The work has been described as "monumental" by the philosopher

Robert S. Corrington Robert S. Corrington (born May 30, 1950) is an American philosopher and author of many books exploring human interpretation of the universe as well as biographies on C.S. Peirce and Wilhelm Reich. He is currently the Henry Anson Buttz Professor o ...

and the psychoanalyst

Joel Kovel Joel Stephen Kovel (August 27, 1936 – April 30, 2018) was an American scholar and author known as a founder of eco-socialism. Kovel became a psychoanalyst, but he abandoned psychoanalysis in 1985. Background Kovel was born on August 27, 193 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Principle Of Hope, The 1954 non-fiction books 1955 non-fiction books 1959 non-fiction books Books by Ernst Bloch Contemporary philosophical literature German-language books German non-fiction books Marxist works Social philosophy literature Philosophy of religion literature Utopian theory