Ontology and marxism: from Marcuse to Ch' ixi epistemology

Abstract

The critical theory of the Frankfurt School is well known for its Marxist-rooted perspective. It is a framework that strongly questions class relations, critiques the pathologies of reason, and mass culture, among other topics. However, the Frankfurt School (especially in its first generation) does not go as far as to question the coloniality of knowledge or the deeply Eurocentric roots of hegemonic philosophical thought. Although the authors of the Frankfurt School do not directly engage in exploring the relationship between critical theory and forms of thought that differ from the prevailing Eurocentrism, this paper aims to explore this relationship in the realm of ontology. More specifically, it examines the relationship between Herbert Marcuse’s ontological Marxism and the epistemology of Ch'ixi. Establishing this unexpected connection allows for building bridges between critical theory and non-hegemonic forms of thought that articulate themselves beyond European coordinates.