A Brief Review of the Three Images of Marxist Theory Reshaped by Althusser
From the 1960s to the 1980s,Louis Althusser defended the scientific nature of Marxism based on structuralist meth-ods by addressing the"crisis of Marxism"and provided a unique interpretation of Marxism.This formed Althusser's Marxism and outlined three images of Marxist theory:"scientific Marxism","limited Marxism"and"materialism of the chance encounter".The essence of the internal relationship among Althusser's three reshaped images of Marxist theory is a form of"theoretical re-treat",which signifies a shift from"defending Marx"to"betraying Marx".The root causes of this outcome are:first,Althusser's incomplete turn towards Marxist belief driven by the remnants of his early thoughts;secondly,the theoretical devia-tions resulting from Althusser's reinterpretation of Marxism using structuralist methods;thirdly,Althusser's indulgence in the i-magination of"theoretical practice"and the dogmatic error he made when choosing his works.