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ThePrincipleofHope
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

ThePrincipleofHope(German:DasPrinzip
Hoffnung)isabookbyErnstBlochthathasbecome
fundamentaltodialoguebetweenChristiansand
Marxists,[1]publishedinthreevolumesin1954,1955,
and1959.Blochexploresutopianism,studyingthe
utopianimpulsespresentinart,literature,religionand
otherformsofculturalexpression,andenvisagesa
futurestateofabsoluteperfection.

ThePrincipleofHope

Contents
1Background
2Synopsis
3Scholarlyreception
4References

Background
Originallywrittenbetween1938and1947inthe
UnitedStates,[1]anenlargedandrevisedversionof
ThePrincipleofHopewaspublishedsuccessivelyin
threevolumesin1954,1955,and1959.Bloch,who
hademigratedtotheUnitedStatesin1938,returned
toEuropein1949andbecameaProfessorof
PhilosophyinEastGermany.Despitehavinginitially
supportedtheregime,Blochcameunderattackforhis
philosophicalunorthodoxyandsupportforgreater
culturalfreedominEastGermany,andpublicationof
ThePrincipleofHopewasdelayedforpolitical
reasons.[2]

Synopsis

TheGermanedition
Author

ErnstBloch

Originaltitle DasPrinzipHoffnung
Translator

NevillePlaice,StephenPlaice,Paul
Knight

Country

Germany

Language

German

Subject

Philosophy

Published

1954(inGerman)
1986(MITPress,inEnglish)

Mediatype

Print

ISBN

0262522047

Bloch'stheorieshavebeensummarizedbythephilosopherLeszekKoakowskiinhisMainCurrentsof
Marxism,andthedescriptionthatfollowsisbasedonKoakowski'saccount:Blochobservesthat
throughouthistory,andinallcultures,peoplehavedreamedofabetterlifeandconstructedvarious
kindsofutopias.Utopiandreamsarepresentinartformssuchaspoetry,drama,musicandpainting,and
inelementaryforminchildren'sdreams,fairytales,andpopularlegend.Utopianimpulsescanalsobe
foundinarchitecture,medicine,sport,dancingandcircuses,aswellasinspecificallyutopianliterature
andintheentirehistoryofreligion.Someutopiasrelatesimplytoimmediateprivateends,butthehigher
kindofrevolutionaryutopiaenvisagestheendofhumansuffering.ForBloch,thepositiveutopiaisthe

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expectationofabsoluteperfection.RevolutionaryutopiasofpastageswereseenbyBlochasreflections
ofhumanity'sdesireforperfection,postMarxistutopiaswereallseenbyhimasreactionary.Bloch
insiststheonlytwopossibleoutcomestohistoryareabsolutedestructionandabsoluteperfection.[2]
EuropeanphilosophypriortoKarlMarxwasseenbyBlochasbeinglargelycontentwithinterpreting
theexistingworldratherthanplanningforabetterone.Forunclearreasons,philosophyappearstohave
beenlessmarkedbyutopianimpulsesthanotherareasofculture.BlochcriticizedPlato'stheorythat
knowledgeisanamnesis,therememberingofsomethingpreviouslyforgotten,forbeingcenteredonthe
past,andbelievedthatithadbeenrepeatedthroughoutthehistoryofphilosophy.Evenphilosophiesthat
projectedafuturestateofperfectionweredefectiveinBloch'sview,sincetheyalwaysimaginedthis
staterealizedfirstintheabstractandthereforehadnounderstandingofrealchangeandnoorientation
towardthefuture.Suchphilosophies,inwhichperfectionorsalvationwasrepresentedasareturntoa
lostparadiseinsteadofthecreationofanewone,includedthoseofPhilo,SaintAugustine,andGeorg
WilhelmFriedrichHegel.[2]
Twentiethcenturyphilosophies,suchasthoseHenriBergsonandAlfredNorthWhitehead,which
attemptedtodescriberealchangeandmaintainanopennesstothefuture,didnotreceiveBloch's
approval.BlochbelievedthatBergson'sphilosophywasnotoneofanticipation:initthenewissimply
anabstraction,anegationofrepetition.KoakowskisuggeststhatBlochbelievedthatnotonly
philosophybutallhumanknowledgepriortoMarxwascapableonlyofdescribingthepast,andcould
notanticipatethefuture.Heviewedthisproblemasbeingworsenedbycapitalism,whichturnedall
objectsintocommoditiesandreifiedthought.Bloch,whoonthispointlargelyfollowstheviewsof
GyrgyLukcsandtheFrankfurtschool,believedthatreifiedthoughtexpressesitselfasfactworship,
whichisdevoidofimaginationandincapableofeitherapprehendingthewholeorgraspingtheessential
inthecourseofhistory.KoakowskiwritesthatBloch'scommentsaboutnonMarxistphilosophiesare
littlebetterthancasualcondemnationandmakenoattemptatanalysis.[2]
PsychoanalysiswasseenbyBlochasanegationofthefuture.Blochwantedtoreplacetheconceptof
theunconsciouswiththe"notyetconscious",thatwhichislatentwithinusintheformofanticipation
butisnotyetarticulate.Hewascriticalofthepsychoanalyticunconscious,sincehesawitasbeing
basedonaccumulationsofthepast,andthereforecontainingnothingnew.InBloch'sview,this
backwardorientationwasevenmoreevidentintheworkofCarlJung,whointerpretedthehuman
psycheintermsofcollectiveprehistory,thanthatofSigmundFreud.BlochviewedJungasafascist,[2]
andrelatedhisconceptofthecollectiveunconscioustofascistpraiseforprimitiveinstinctandthewill
topower.[3]AlfredAdler'stheoryofthewilltopowerasafundamentalhumanimpulsewasseenby
Blochasa"typicallycapitalistidea".Blochbelievedthatallformsofpsychoanalysiswerebackward
lookingbecausetheyexpressedtheconsciousnessof"thebourgeoisie",aclasswithoutafuture.[2]
CorringtondefendsJungagainstBloch'scriticisms,writingthatBlochfailstorecognizethatJung
attemptedtobalancearchetypesagainsteachotherpreciselytopreventwhatBlochsawasthe
undesirableconsequencesofJungiantheory.HestatesthatMarxistssuchasBlochareincapableof
recognizingthepowerofarchetypalstructuresbecauseofthematerialisminherentintheirframework.[3]
Marxism,accordingtoBloch,istheonlyforcethathasgivenhumanityafullandconsistentperception
ofthefuture.Sinceitrecognizesthepastonlytotheextentthatitstilleffectsthepresent,itisentirely
orientedtowardthefuture.Marxismisasciencethathasovercometheoppositionbetweenwhatisand
whatshouldbe:itisbothatheoryofafutureparadiseandamethodofcreatingit.Marxismisautopia,
butonethatmustbedistinguishedfromtheutopiasofpreviousagesbecauseofitsconcreteness.While
itmakesnoexactpredictionsaboutthefutureofsociety,itmakespossibleconsciousparticipationinthe
historicalprocessthatleadstothetransformationofsociety.Thenewsocietywillbefreefrom
alienationandthedivisionofpeopleintoclasses,andwillalsoachievethereconciliationofthehuman
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racewithnature.BlochconsideredMarx'scommentsabout"humanizationofnature"inhisEconomic
andPhilosophicManuscriptsof1844tobeofkeyimportance:autopiacannotbeconcreteunlessit
embracestheuniverse.Utopiasthatarelimitedtotheorganizationofsocietyandignorenatureareno
betterthanabstractions.Marxism'sknowledgeofthisanticipatedworldanditswilltocreateithavea
counterpartinahigherandmorereal"essential"order,whichisnotaperfectionalreadyrealized
somewherebutinvisiblypresentasananticipationintheempiricalworld.[2]
Koakowski,whofindsBloch'sconceptofnonempiricalrealitytobetypicallyneoPlatonicand
Hegelian,writesthatBlochsupportsitnotbyappealingtotheneoPlatonistsortoHegel,butratherto
theAristotelianconceptofentelechyandthe"creativematter"envisagedbyAristotle'sfollowers.Bloch
believedthattheworldhasanimmanentpurposivenessthatleadstotheevolutionofcompletefrom
incompleteforms.KoakowskiwritesthatwhileAristotle'sconceptsofenergy,potentialityand
entelechyarebasicallyintelligiblewhenappliedtoparticularobjectsandprocesses,theycannot
intelligiblybeappliedtorealityasawhole.HecriticizesBloch'sconceptsforbeingpurelyspeculative
andhavingnobasisinempiricalobservation.AccordingtoKoakowski,Blocharguesthatany
objectionstothehopeofabsoluteperfectionbasedonexistingscientificknowledgeareinvalidbecause
"facts"havenoontologicalmeaning.Bloch,recognizingthatexistingscientificthoughtdoesnotsupport
histheories,appealsinsteadtoartandtheimagination.Koakowskibelievesthatthisapproachmightbe
reasonableifBlochconsideredhimselfapoet,butthatitisunreasonablegivenBloch'sclaimthathis
ideasareinsomesensescientific.[2]
Blocharguesthatrealizingthepossibilitiesinherentintheessenceoftheuniversecanonlybe
accomplishedthroughhumanwillandeffort.Whethertheuniverseisdestroyedorbroughttoperfection
dependsontheactionsofthehumanraceandisnotdeterminedinadvance.BlochascribestoMarxthe
ideathatthehumanraceistheguideoftheuniverseorofBeingasawhole.Koakowskifindsthatview
tobetypicallyneoPlatonicratherthanMarxist,andbelievesthatBlochcanattributeittoMarxonlyby
distortingMarx'swritings.HealsobelievesthatBlochisuncleartowhatextentthefutureiscontained
withinthepresent:ourknowledgeofthatfuturemaybeeitherrealknowledge,oranactofhumanwill.
ThisambiguityisseenbyKoakowskiastypicaloftheHegelianandMarxisttraditions,whichblurthe
distinctionbetweenforeseeingandcreatingthefuture.HenotesthatBlochattemptstoclarifyhisviews
byappealingtoGottfriedWilhelmLeibniz's"littleperceptions",akindofknowledgethatisrealeven
thoughinarticulate.KoakowskiarguesthatBloch'sapproachisdesignedtoavoidthenecessityof
havingtoprovidereasonsforhisconclusions.HenotesthatwhileBlochbelievesthatthesocial
organizationofhisfutureutopiacannotbedescribedinadvance,Blochneverthelesspredictsthatitwill
containanentirelynewkindoftechnologythatwilltransformhumanlife.[2]
Blochbelievedthatwhiletraditionalreligiousbeliefsinimmortalityorreincarnationarepurefantasy,
theyarealsoamanifestationoftheutopianwillandhumandignity.KoakowskiinterpretsBlochas
arguingthat,whilethepromisesofimmortalityintraditionalreligionsarevain,undercommunismit
willbepossibletoovercometheproblemofdeath.HumanbeingswilleventuallycreateGod.Bloch
writesthat"trueGenesisisnotatthebeginningbutattheend".Healsobelievedthatsocialismwouldbe
abletoguaranteeUtopiatoinorganicnature.[2]

Scholarlyreception
KoakowskicallsThePrincipleofHopeBloch'smagnumopus,writingthatitcontainsallhisimportant
ideas.[2]Theworkhasbeendescribedas"monumental"byphilosopherRobertS.Corrington[1]and
psychoanalystJoelKovel.[4]

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References
1. Corrington,RobertS.(1987).TheCommunityofInterpreters:OntheHermeneuticsofNatureandtheBible
intheAmericanPhilosophicalTradition.MercerUniversityPress.p.103.ISBN0865542848.
2. Koakowski,Leszek(1985).MainCurrentsofMarxismVolume3:TheBreakdown.Oxford:Oxford
UniversityPress.pp.425439.ISBN0192851098.
3. Corrington,RobertS.(1992).NatureandSpirit:AnEssayinEcstaticNaturalism.NewYork:Fordham
University.pp.6869.ISBN0823213633.
4. Kovel,Joel(1991).HistoryandSpirit:AnInquiryintothePhilosophyofLiberation.Boston:BeaconPress.
p.99.ISBN0807029165.

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