Notes, audio, video

30 March 2023 A Talk on Evald Vasiyevich Ilyenkov “Personality and Collective” with Kyrill Potapov

Activity & Knowledge – Ilyenkov on classroom pedagogy

Kyrill Potapov introduces Ilyenkov’s short essay on knowledge development and teaching. The discussion explores other aspects of Ilyenkov’s essay, like his criticisms of positivism. View video.

2 March 2023 A Contribution to a Conversation About Meshcheryakov by Evald Ilyenkov

We discuss Ilyenkov’s “A Contribution to a Conversation About Meshcheryakov”, introduced by Maxim Morozov. View the video.

13 January 2022 Discoveries in the Ilyenkov archive

Andrey Maidansky answers your questions. View the video and read the questions and answers.

7 November 2021 Dialectics as Logic

Olga Ivashchuk explores the essence of the Hegelian revolution in Logic, guided by Evald Ilyenkov. It’s an approach often ignored by the world of science and academia. Karl Popper will help us identify key arguments against the logic of contradiction and Ilyenkov’s counterarguments. Video

14 October 2021 Sergei Alushkin’s introduction to Fichte and Schelling through the eyes of Ilyenkov

Kant’s critique of pure reason left philosophy in a state of agnosticism and subjective idealism. Yet, it was not the end of philosophy as there were thinkers who continued its history with their critique of critical philosophy. Meet Fichte and Schelling in Ilyenkov’s Essay 4 “Principles of logic: Dualism or Monism?” From our discussion you will learn how to criticize solipsism from left and right, how the subject of cognition becomes the subject of history, what was alienation before Hegel and Marx and how monism relates to poetic intuition. Video

9 September 2021 Sergei Alushkin – Ilyenkov’s Dialectical Logic – Essay 3: Kant

Usually, dialectics are associated with Hegel, but Kant first broke through the wall of metaphysical thinking. Evald Ilyenkov reveals Kant as a revolutionary in logic, who did not fear contradictions. So what is Kant’s place in the history of dialectical logic? What are possibilities and limitations of formal logic? Who is the subject of thought? Our discussion of Essay 3 explores these questions and much more! Video

29 July 2021 Kyrill Potapov – Vygotsky, Ilyenkov and the Origins of Language

Today, Tomasello’s “neo-Vygotskian” model of language learning is among approaches representing the state of the art in psychology and primatology, describing what separates humans from other animals in terms of processes of enculturation. However, Tomasello falls prey to a number of Cartesian assumptions, relying on an innate capacity to share intentional states. In this session, I attempt to overcome this Cartesianism by pursuing an alternative route through the work of Vygotsky, Ilyenkov and contemporary findings, particularly in the work of biological anthropologist Terrence Deacon. Video

Kyrill Potapov is a PhD Candidate in Human/Computer Interaction at UCL taking a Vygotskian perspective on data interpretation and co-organiser of the IFI.

30 June 2021 The Dividual introduced by Joshua Simon

A preview of The Dividual, which pulls together contemporary and archival works, from video animation to installation pieces to the unpublished sketches of Marx and Engels, to contextualize the moment. Curator/author Joshua Simon introduces the exhibition, which runs 2-16 July at Leuphana University, Luneberg. Video of introduction to IFI.

27 May 2021 lyenkov’s Dialectical Logic: Chapters 1-2

Andy Brown is Professor of Economics and Political Economy at Leeds University. He offers an interpretation of chapters 1&2 of Ilyenkov’s Dialectical Logic, which (1) sets out Cartesian dualism as the fundamental problem of philosophy and (2) offers Spinoza’s doctrine of Substance as the most abstract and simple overcoming of that problem. Video

2021 Collective reading of Ilyenkov’s essay The Ideal (идеальное)
Part 1 – January 21: Video
Part 2 – February 4: Video
Part 3 – February 18: Video
Part 4 – March 4: Video
Part 5 – March 18: Video
Part 6 – April 1: Video
Part 7 – April 15: Video
Part 8 – April 29: Video – The Ideal from a Neurobiological Perspective: Lars Taxen introduces a reading of Ilyenkov in light of information systems and ideas from neurobiology + Part 8 of Reading
Part 9 – May 13: Video – This is the final part

November 27, 2020 Rogney Piedra Arencibia
Raising a glass to celebrate the bicentenary of Frederick Engels’ birth
Ilyenkov and Engels’ Dialectics of Nature:
Interaction as the concrete-universal form of development
Presentation video

October 15, 2020 Professor Andrew Brown
Social activity as key to connecting mind and world video

September 10, 2020 Elena Mareeva presentation on S. Mareev and Ilyenkov’s Concept of the Ideal

July 24, 2020 Evald Ilyenkov and the development of Marxist thought
presentation by Alexander Surmava
Presentation video

July 10, 2020 Ilyenkov’s Dialectics of the Ideal and Engels’ Dialectics of Nature presentation by Rogney Piedra Arencibia
Presentation video

June 26, 2020 Mikhail Epstein, Professor of Cultural Theory and Russian Literature, Emory University Atlanta on Theories in Practice: How the Humanities Can Change the World based on his book The Transformative Humanities: A Manifesto (Bloomsbury, 2012)
Presentation video + chat + Powerpoint

May 29, 2020 On the social function of Soviet creative Hegelianism
Introduced by Olga Ivashchuk, Doctor of Philosophy, School of Public Policy, RANEPA, Moscow: Video of presentation & discussion

May 14, 2020 The ‘Ideal’ Match: On the Reality of Thinking
Introduced by Siyaves Azeri, associate professor of philosophy, visiting researcher, University of Lorraine, Archives Henri Poincare, Nancy, France
Video of presentation & discussion

April 24, 2020 Ilyenkov’s Workshop of Thinking by Maria Karakutsa of the Leport Literature Club in Kyiv: Presentation and Notes

March 4, 2020 International Friends of Ilyenkov discussion of Žižek’s critique of Ilyenkov and “Western Marxism” in Sex & the Failed Absolute (audio) introduced by Kyrill Potapov discussing his notes: Who failed? Failed who? Žižek’s critique of Ilyenkov.

December 19, 2019 Chapter 5 of Ilyenkov’s Dialectics of the Abstract and Concrete. Notes from Corinna, Giannis, Paul, Penny

October 22, 2019 Chapter 4 of Ilyenkov’s Dialectics of the Abstract and Concrete. Corinna’s notes are here. Kyrill’s critique of Paul Mason’s Clear Bright Future is here.

September 25, 2019 Penny Cole’s response to the July webinar, on the union of the logical and historical, is the basis for this day’s discussion.

July 10, 2019 Notes of the continuing discussion around Giannis’ paper Understanding and Reason as moments of the dialectical process of thought.

May 15, 2019 Notes of a continuing discussion on Keti Chukrov’s presentation and Ilyenkov’s Mystery of the Black Box.

January 22, 2019 What’s the ideal got to do with Brexit? Paul Feldman’s opening presentation, Penny Cole’s contribution, and Virpi Lund’s notes.

October 24, 2018 Notes of discussion on Chapter 4 of Ilyenkov’s The Dialectics of the Abstract and Concrete in Marx’s Capital

September 11, 2018 Dan McMahon’s introduction, and notes of further discussion on Chapter 3 of Ilyenkov’s The Dialectics of the Abstract and Concrete in Marx’s Capital

July 30, 2018 Notes of discussion on Chapter 3 of Ilyenkov’s The Dialectics of the Abstract and Concrete in Marx’s Capital

July 9, 2018 Notes of discussion The state in capitalist society and its role

May 29, 2018 Notes of discussion on Contradictions within the Ideal

March 13, 2018 Notes of discussion on Ilyenkov’s Dialectical Logic Essay 9

February 13, 2018 Lenin’s Dialectics. Notes of discussion on this essay by Professor Vesa Oittinen, Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland

January 16, 2018 Corinna Lotz’ introductory presentation and notes for the discussion on the Dialectics of Hegemony

December 12, 2017 Notes on the continued discussion on Radical Currents in Soviet Philosophy: Lev Vygotsky and Evald Ilyenkov by Arto Artinian based on this article.

Comments and questions from Signe, David  and Corinna.

November 7 and 14, 2017  Notes on the discussion on Radical Currents in Soviet Philosophy: Lev Vygotsky and Evald Ilyenkov by Arto Artinian based on this article.

December 1, 2016 Notes on Chapter three by Frank Hayes, Gerry Gold and Penny Cole

June 28, 2016 Marcelo J. S. Silva’s Powerpoint presentation : The concept as the reflection of objective reality in thought

June 6, 2016 Paul Feldman’s notes on The Dialectics of the Abstract and the Concrete in Marx’s Capital: Chapter 2 – The Unity of the Abstract & the Concrete as a Law of Thought

May 24, 2016  Monica Lemos’ paper (pdf) : COLLABORATIVE AGENCY IN EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT:CONSTRUCTING A JOINT OBJECT FOR SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION

December 7, 2015  Corinna Lotz’s notes.  on : The Concrete and the dialectics of the Universal and the Individual

July 6th, 2015 Corinna Lotz’s notes

April 14, 2015 Heli Kaatrakoski’s notes :  The definition of the concrete in Marx