Abstract

LOWY, Michael. Socialism as a Wager. From Lucien Goldmann to Daniel Bensaïd.Translated byEsther Cohen. Acta poét [online]. 2017, vol.38, n.2, pp.143-152. ISSN 2448-735X.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.ap.2017.2.805.

This article explores the notion of wager in Lucien Goldmann’s Marxist thought and in that of one of his most lucid readers, Daniel Bensaïd. This notion is derived from Pascal´s philosophy, and in the context of socialism, it acquires a sense of secular faith: the possibility of historical realization of an authentic human community (socialism). This revolutionary wager, which is supra-individual and desires collective happiness, is besieged by failure and is, therefore, necessarily melancholic, but never resigned.

Keywords : Lucien Goldmann; Daniel Bensaïd; socialism; revolutionary wager; secular faith.