ABSTRACT
One of the central figures in traditional Marxist theory is Georg Lukacs. This chapter attempts to bring to the fore a new aspect of Lukacs relation to the Frankfurt School's theory of dialectics by showing the extent to which his theory can be viewed as belonging to the bourgeois identity-thinking tradition. It aims to offer a coherent view of Lukacs's democratic theory by showing the practical repercussions of his use of the notions that make up dialectical theory as well as their connection to each other. The chapter investigates Lukacs's writings that deal with aspects of the history of philosophy, including his reading of K. Marx's materialism and dialectics and the notion of labour in The Ontology of Social Being. It explores his understanding of totality and the formation of consciousness that underpins his theory of the party and state in History and Class Consciousness and in his book on V. I. Lenin.
