Lucio Colletti

Lucio Colletti (1924-2001)

Belonged to Della Volpe school of Marxism in Italy, was affiliated initally to the PCI but became increasingly moderate and latterly right wing. In the mid 70s Colletti rejected Marxism (see NLR). Before his death Colletti worked as a parliamentary deputy to the elective dictatorship of Berlusconi's government in Italy.

Colletti is best know for his work that tried to undermine the link between Marxian and Hegelian dialectics and his argument that Marx's true philosophical ancestor was Kant. For Colletti, Hegel's work was a return to pre-Kantian metaphysics. In fact Colletti assimliates Hegel to Spinoza and gives Marx over to Kant. He argues that the real is always something more than the concept and this 'something more' that prevents the reduction of being to thought. (cf Smith p 153). This work (Marxism and Hegel) was to win praise, albeit with some reservations, from the French Marxist, Louis Althusser for its rigour and profundity (cf: Reading Capital p 75). Mario Tronti (one of founders of Operaismo) commended the early Colletti for his resolute stance that anti-dialectical philosophy need not imply reformist politics.

Bibliography

Marxism and Hegel (1979)

Introduction to Marx's Early Writings available here

From Rousseau to Lenin

Twilight Of Ideology (1980)

Secondary

A.A.Smith - Hegelianism and Marxism: a reply to Lucio Colleti - Sicence and Society Vol L No2 Summer 1986

That Tronti piece - (only in Italian)
Guardian Obituary
From Marx to Berlusconi: Lucio Colletti and the Struggle for Scientific Marxism Rethinking Marxism Volume 22, Issue 1 January 2010, p. 148 - 156
A Political and Philosophical Interview (pdf) Perry Anderson Interviews Lucio Colletti for the New Left Review (1974)