This review study is dedicated to the work of the German philosopher Wolfgang Harich. In the light of a new edition of his collected works, the author situates Harich’s work in the philosophical and historical contexts out of which it grew. The edition under discussion shows the admirable scope of Harich’s philosophical legacy – its range, erudition and originality. His uniqueness arises especially in regards to the persecutions to which he was subjected in the former GDR and from which it inter alia emerges that a great part of his work in the collected edition is being published for the first time. The study shows the main features of Harich’s thinking to be a significant contribution to the systematic development of Marxist philosophy in the 20th century and interprets them with regard to the newly made available sources, probably for the first time in the Czech environment. and Tato recenzní studie je věnována dílu německého filosofa Wolfganga Haricha. Ve světle nové edice jeho pozůstalosti zasazuje Harichovo dílo do filosofických i historických kontextů, z nichž vyrůstalo. Recenzovaná edice dokazuje obdivuhodný záběr Harichova filosofického odkazu, jeho rozsah, fundovanost i originalitu. Jeho mimořádnost vyvstává zejména vzhledem k perzekucím, jimž byl Harich vystavován v bývalé NDR a z nichž mj. vyplynulo, že větší část jeho díla v pozůstalostní edici vychází vůbec poprvé. Studie ukazuje hlavní rysy Harichova myšlení jako významný příspěvek k systematickému rozvinutí marxistické filosofie ve 20. století a vykládá je s ohledem na nově zpřístupněné prameny. V českém prostředí se tak děje pravděpodobně poprvé.
Recently, the term “Ecological Leninism” has emerged as a popular invocation in the works of Marxist thinkers attempting to grasp dialectically the numerous intersecting ecological crises. Yet, beyond a few introductory remarks, little has been said about the content of this concept and, even less, its relation to Lenin. Generally, the concept attempts to combine Leninist political theory with the ecological analyses of the growing number of ecosocialists and eco-Marxists working both within the academy and without. This paper intends an initial, philosophical contribution toward developing Ecological Leninism: (1) by providing an interpretation of Lenin’s philosophical method, that is, dialectical and historical materialism; and (2) explicating the way in which this philosophy gives rise to a political ecological theory and practice, Ecological Leninism, that addresses the crisis of the metabolic rift between nature and society. We intend to contribute to the development of Ecological Leninism by clarifying the philosophy through which the political method is articulated. Thus, we hope to show that, under the conditions of a global metabolic rift produced by capitalist society, Ecological Leninism as a political ecological theory signals the possibility of securing a just and sustainable world for future generations.