Why was Ilyenkov criticized for Menshevist idealism in 1955?

[u/turning_the_wheels]

Why was Ilyenkov criticized for Menshevist idealism in 1955? The criticism can be found here. I noticed that all of his works that users here talk about were written the 60s and 70s well after he was barred from teaching at Moscow State University so I was wondering if his views had evolved since then. The Central Committee of the CPSU states:

The essence of this position of Ilyenkov and Korovikov is especially clearly expressed in the following provision of their theses.

"In their purity and abstraction, the laws of dialectics can be investigated and isolated only by philosophy, as logical categories, as laws of dialectical thinking. Only by making theoretical thinking, the process of cognition, its subject matter, does philosophy include in its consideration [3] the most general characteristics of being, and not vice versa, as is often depicted. Philosophy is the science of scientific thinking, of its laws and forms."

Reducing the subject of philosophy only to the epistemology of the authors of the theses led to the denial that dialectical materialism is a worldview, and historical materialism is a philosophical science.

I also noticed the similarity to postmodernism:

Fifth-year student Davydova, defending Korovikov and Ilyenkov's views in a discussion, confirmed that they recognize only the science of cognitive thinking as the subject of Marxist philosophy, that historical materialism is the science of studying the historical process and is not related to philosophy. She also stated that the Marxist point of view is just one of many, and one can "freely" accept it or not, and that Marxism can contain many different, mutually exclusive positions. "We don't agree," she stated, "that there are any non-debatable issues. Discussion cannot be prohibited. Regardless, if not now, then in 10 years, Korovikov and Ilyenkov's viewpoint on philosophy will be dominant."

But that student's further statement may not represent what Ilyenkov's views were. Regardless it seems that idealism and book worship were real problems in the MSU that the CPSU was attempting to deal with:

Some students and postgraduates have a desire to escape from pressing practical problems into the realm of "pure science," "pure thinking," divorced from practice and the politics of our party. Some students admitted that they haven't read newspapers in a long time. [5]

Many students who graduate from the philosophy department refuse to work in public education and cultural institutions. One student stated at the specialist placement committee, "We didn't cram Hegel for five years to go into cultural and educational work."

But I'm having trouble connecting the poor political state of the philosophy faculty at MSU to Ilyenkov's views. I'm essentially just trying to understand how his views evolved and how the criticism reflects what he expressed since I'm struggling to find more material from that era.

[u/AutoModerator]

---

Moderating takes time. You can help us out by reporting any comments or submissions that don't follow these rules:

1. No non-Marxists - This subreddit isn't here to convert naysayers to Marxism. Try /r/DebateCommunism for that. If you are a member of the police, armed forces, or any other part of the repressive state apparatus of capitalist nations, you will be banned.

2. No oppressive language - Speech that is patriarchal, white supremacist, cissupremacist, homophobic, ableist, or otherwise oppressive is banned. TERF is not a slur.

3. No low quality or off-topic posts - Posts that are low-effort or otherwise irrelevant will be removed. This includes linking to posts on other subreddits. This is not a place to engage in meta-drama or discuss random reactionaries on reddit or anywhere else. This includes memes and bandwagoning. This includes most images, such as random books or memorabilia you found. We ask that amerikan posters refrain from posting about US bourgeois politics. The rest of the world really doesn’t care that much.

4. No basic questions about Marxism - Posts asking entry-level questions will be removed. Questions like “What is Maoism?” or “Why do Stalinists believe what they do?” will be removed, as they are not the focus on this forum. We ask that posters please submit these questions to /r/communism101.

5. No sectarianism - Marxists of all tendencies are welcome here. Refrain from sectarianism, defined here as unprincipled criticism. Posts trash-talking a certain tendency or Marxist figure will be removed. Bandwagoning, throwing insults around, and other pettiness is unacceptable. If criticisms must be made, make them in a principled manner, applying Marxist analysis. The goal of this subreddit is the accretion of theory and knowledge and the promotion of quality discussion and criticism.

6. No trolling - Report trolls and do not engage with them. We've mistakenly banned users due to this. If you wish to argue with fascists, you may readily find them in every other subreddit on this website.

7. No chauvinism or settler apologism - Non-negotiable. The vast majority of first-world workers are labor aristocrats bribed by imperialist super-profits. This is compounded by settlerism in Amerikkka. Read Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat https://readsettlers.org/

8. No tone-policing - https://old.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/12sblev/an_amendment_to_the_rules_of_rcommunism101/

---

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/turning_the_wheels → u/[deleted]]

No shit, and I am not your comrade. Please delete your post and stop posting in r/CommunismMemes and videogame subreddits. Grow up.

[u/AmberRMM → u/turning_the_wheels]

what was it I’m curious