Bill Martin (philosophy)

Bill Martin (born 1956) is a professor of Philosophy at DePaul University is best known for his work on Derrida, Sartre, Marxist theory, Aesthetics, and his critiques of Richard Rorty. Martin has written a few books on the subject of Prog Rock and bands like Yes. He also considers himself a Maoist; however rejects certain dogmatic principles of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. For many years, he expressed an affinity to the work of the Revolutionary Communisty Party and its chairman, Bob Avakian.

Beyond the relationship there are some major theoretical and philosophical differences as can be seen in the book co-written by both Avakian and Martin, "A Call to the Future," such as the question of the Ethical, the relation of productive forces to our contingency, and the legacy of Christianity. While Avakian has a stricter take on Marxism and the dialectical relationship between Morality and the economic base, Martin argues for a new Kantian re-envisioning of Ethics within Marxism.

Bill Martin's connection to Avakian ended abruptly in 2008, and was explained with publication of Martin's work "Into the Wild: Badiou, actually-existing Maoism, and the 'vital mix' of yesterday and tomorrow" which contains a sharp critique of the RCP and the discussion of the break.

Works

• "Avant Rock: Experimental Music from the Beatles to Bjork"
• "Humanism and Its Aftermath: The Shared Fate of Deconstruction and Politics"
• "Marxism and the Call of the Future: Conversations on Ethics, History, and Politics" co-written with Bob Avakian.
• "Matrix and Line: Derrida and the Possibilities of Postmodern Social Theory"
• "Music of Yes: Structure and Vision in Progressive Rock"
• "Listening to the Future: The Time of Progressive Rock, 1968-1978"
• "Politics in the Impasse: Explorations in Postsecular Social Theory"
• "The radical project: Sartrean investigations"
• "Ethical Marxism: The Categorical Imperative of Liberation (Creative Marxism)"
• Into the Wild: Badiou, actually-existing Maoism, and the “vital mix” of yesterday and tomorrow April 2010

See also

• American philosophy
• List of American philosophers

References

• DePaul bio of Bill Martin retrieved 15th Feb 2010]
• Review of "Humanism and its Aftermath" by John Hutnyk