Ernst Bloch’s The Principle of Hope: Commentaries to the Foreword

The article offers a commentary to the translation of a section of the preface written by the German philosopher E. Bloch to his seminal work, The Principle of Hope. In the foreword, E. Bloch outlines the key issues pertaining to the study of hope in European philosophy, while also delineating the objectives of the study. The philosopher presents a detailed account of the structure and logic of his analysis, as well as a comprehensive description of the subject field. To immerse productively into the world of E. Bloch’s ideas, the authors present a concise overview of the contextual framework within which this writing was created. This includes an awareness of the key concepts which underpin Bloch’s philosophy, as well as his distinctive approach to thinking and the innovative language he employed. The authors also examine Bloch’s approach to the interpretation of hope, identifying two distinctive characteristics: universalism and dynamism. This study analyzes the sources of Bloch’s concept of hope, which can be categorized into two main groups: religious and historical-philosophical. The text highlights the points of dialogue between German philosophy (Hegel, Kant, Marx) and Lenin on the interpretation of the future, utopian thinking and practical transformation of the world. The paper offers an insight into the criticism of E. Bloch’s concept of hope from a range of theoretical perspectives, including those of T. Adorno, G. Jonas, G. Schelski, and G. Marcel. The rationale behind E. Bloch’s examination of the concept of hope has been articulated. The philosopher initiates his analysis with an investigation into the affective dimension of hope and subsequently applies his insights to the formulation of a philosophical status for the concept, namely the universal principle of hope. In conclusion, the specificity of E. Bloch’s ontology (that hope is a principle of reality) and anthropology (that hope is an active, conscious, teachable affect and a universal principle of the world) is emphasized.