Assignment Explain the philosophical ideas of Louis Althusser and whether they can still be considered relevant today.

Source 1

Complete Harvard reference for source

Ferretter, L 2006, Louis Althusser, Routledge, Oxford.

Search terms and search engine used

Searched Library Catalogue: Louis Althusseràrefine search to “books”: first entry.

Summarise the main point, focus and/or findings of source

This is an in-depth guide to Althusser’s work, published by academic publisher Routledge. Ferretter explains that Althusser is a Marxist philosopher, and someone who offered important contributions to how Karl Marx’s ideas are understood and applied. Ferretter explains Althusser’s interpretation of the term ‘ideology’ in Marx’s work; as he points out, for Althusser, ‘ideology’ is not so much a consciously held ‘agenda’, but rather a set of internalized cultural values—a kind of invisible lens through which we understand the world and see our place within it.

Compare/contrast source with another source you have chosen

Compared with the essay ‘Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses’ by Louis Althusser himself, this source has the advantage of providing a clearer, entry-level guide to Althusser’s ideas. It provides context by showing how Althusser’s ideas developed from those of Karl Marx (and others), and demonstrates how these ideas can apply to cultural productions like novels or movies.

Explain how you would use this source in answering your research question

This book includes sections specifically explaining how Althusser’s work relates to the work today, sections which are thus very relevant to the essay question. As Ferretter suggests in his introduction, Althusser can still be considered significant because western societies are still based on capitalist economies (p. 1). The author also applies Althusser’s philosophical ideas to several works of popular culture (e.g. the film You’ve Got Mail), thus further indicating how they relate to the work today and how they can be applied practically.

Provide a brief quotation or paraphrase of one of the main points of the source, with an appropriate and accurate in-text citation using the UTAS library’s Harvard referencing guide.

According to Althusser’s theory, ‘ideology’ is not to be thought of as simply a person’s conscious political ‘agenda’ but rather their mindset for understanding world around them, which is handed down and reinforced by society. Reality exists, but the dominant ideology tells us how to interpret it. As Luke Ferretter (2006, p. 80) explains, this means that “the ruling class lives its own ideology, just as the exploited classes do. A general does not send his men out to die for their country, for instance, without firmly believing that it is their duty to do so.”