Note: a more detailed engagement with Ceika's ideas can be found here: https://anticapitalistresistance。org/。。。How to Philosophize with a Hammer and Sickle: Nietzsche and Marx for the 21st-Century Left is difficult to summarize or discuss succinctly。 The title suggests two things: first， that it is a how to of philosophizing in a particular way， and， second， an introduction to the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Marx with an eye to the contemporary relevance of their thought。 The author， Note: a more detailed engagement with Ceika's ideas can be found here: https://anticapitalistresistance。org/。。。How to Philosophize with a Hammer and Sickle: Nietzsche and Marx for the 21st-Century Left is difficult to summarize or discuss succinctly。 The title suggests two things: first， that it is a how to of philosophizing in a particular way， and， second， an introduction to the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Marx with an eye to the contemporary relevance of their thought。 The author， Jonas Čeika， manages to accomplish neither satisfactorily。Why， then， would I give this book a 5 star rating？ Because what it does accomplish satisfactorily is of overwhelming value， and， in truth， the book never sets out to do what such a title might seemingly suggest on first glance。 No Nietzschean would dare write a systemic "how to" book on philosophy to begin with， nor would a decent Marxist contend themselves to merely showing the "relevance" of a thinker to the present。This book， in reality， is nothing short of a shotgun blast to stale Marxist orthodoxy and unspoken leftist dogma。 What is suggested by the title， should one be familiar with Nietzsche's original phrase to "philosophize with a hammer，" is that the act of destruction can also be a constructive act: his attack on Marxism is not intended to consign the philosophy to the dustbin of history， but rather to save it from itself。 Čeika's contribution is to see that this constructive act is not his own duty， but an opportunity for radicals everywhere。 The construction of a new Marxism， Čeika says， will happen "beyond all books， where the philosophical problems brought up here are tackled at their source"。 It is clear that any new Marxism will be the communal product of struggle， a process in which Čeika has no ambitions to play anything beyond simply a role。For Marxism to be an open-ended project to which all may contribute meaningfully， however， it has to be wrestled from the dogmatic stranglehold that sees Marxism as more akin to a natural science。 In contrast， what is argued for here is a Marxism of life， a Marxism of praxis。 Čeika uncovers the various ways in which Marxism has been distorted， not just by the Soviet authorities of the 20th century but the various parties and thought leaders of today， to encourage "servility" in various forms。 He argues against any Marxism that wishes to reduce its namesake thinker to "a social democrat， a moralist， a historical determinist， even a nationalist。" Against those who wish to dilute and water down Marxism to make it more palatable to reactionaries， Čeika seeks to make Marxism MORE scandalous， more emphatic in its trumpting of the cause of self-creation， and turns to Nietzsche as a thinker who can help us in this process。Čeika is clear that he does not see his work as "synthesizing Marx and Nietzsche，" nor is it an attempt at "supplementing what is lacking in Marx with Nietzsche， or supplementing what is lacking in Nietzsche with Marx"。 Instead， it is an attempt to use each thinker as a lens through which to view what is already present in the thought of the other: despite pretenses of equal treatment， it is Nietzsche who is used as a lens far more often and Marx who is subject to re-examination。 Marx emerges from these pages as a firebrand: not simply a man interested in abstract political revolution or moralistic corrections of society's wrongs， but a man for whom no concern was higher than that of emancipation。This leads to the greatest merit of the work: how it seeks to root out all traces of masochism and repression。 This is what is meant by recasting Marxism as a philosophy of life， one that seeks to emancipate man not merely from his social shackles but from， as Marx put it in the German Ideology， the "muck of ages"。 The Marxism contained in this work is more concerned with attaining self-realization than it is with ending exploitation as an end in and of itself， even if the former is of course impossible without the latter。 Similarly， rather than exalting suffering and sacrifice the way so many leftists do， Čeika makes clear that any liberatory theory worthy of the title must be guided consistently by the impulse for a free life above all else。Čeika's master's thesis in philosophy was on the history of freedom as a philosophical concept， and the depth with which he has thought on this subject becomes apparent quickly。 While hardly the first to suggest that authentic Marxism is animated by the impulse for freedom， this is among the best works in giving content to what that specific conception of freedom entails。 If you read enough Marxist works， especially from the Trotskyist tradition， then you will be familiar with how often freedom is trotted out as a hanging signifier， an attempt to separate the writer from Stalinism。 This is not the case here。In spite of how I have presented it， this is not a manifesto。 While it contains a political call to action， and indeed a philosophical call too， it is not intended as an introductory work to Marxism or Nietzsche nor can it really be called "agitprop。" This is to the book's credit。 While both unflinchingly radical and unquestionably accessible to non-specialists， the volume never gives up being a work of serious philosophy。 There's a palpable sense of respect for the reader's intelligence and willingness to read things that aren't written at a 5th grade level。 One never gets the feeling this is the product of a thinker slowing down for the masses， dumbing down their thought for the common man who， supposedly， doesn't have time for real books。True to its purpose， there is little here that is likely to be completely new to any well-read Marxist， but it will draw your attention to aspects of Marxism that often escape notice and explore implications in Marxist theory that one may not have previously thought through。 In examining Marxism through a Nietzschean lens， Marxism is refreshed and renewed。 Čeika's book invites us to think re-examine what we already know as radicals in new and exciting ways， ways that lend well to understanding the depths of what it means to treat Marxism as an open project rather than a closed philosophy。In doing so， it often exemplifies the best tendencies of both Marxian and Nietzschean thinking。Note: I am basing my review off a manuscript Čeika sent me before publication。 I am both biased due to my involvement in the writing process and due to my relationship with the author。 。。。more