Kostas Axelos facts for kids

Kostas Axelos (born June 26, 1924 – died February 4, 2010) was an important Greek-French philosopher. A philosopher is someone who studies big questions about life, knowledge, values, and how we understand the world. Axelos spent most of his life in Paris, France, where he taught and wrote many books about his ideas. He is known for trying to connect old ideas with new ones, especially about how technology affects our lives and how we can think about the world in a more open way.

Exploring Kostas Axelos's Life

Early Life and Education

Kostas Axelos was born in Athens, Greece, in 1924. His father was a doctor, and his mother came from an old family in Athens. He went to high school at the French Institute and Varvakeio High School. He started studying law and economics at the University of Athens. He wasn't very happy with the philosophy taught there at the time.

War and Moving to Paris

During World War II, when Greece was occupied by German and Italian forces, Axelos became involved in political groups. He worked as an organizer and journalist for a political party. After the war, he faced serious challenges from the government and was arrested, but he managed to escape.

At the end of 1945, Axelos moved to Paris, France. He traveled on a ship called the Mataroa with about 200 other thinkers who were also facing difficulties. In Paris, he studied philosophy at the Sorbonne, which is a very famous university.

Becoming a Philosopher and Teacher

From 1950 to 1957, Axelos worked as a researcher, writing his important papers. Later, he taught philosophy at the Sorbonne from 1962 to 1973. During this time, he met other famous thinkers and artists like Jacques Lacan, Pablo Picasso, and Martin Heidegger.

In 1959, he finished his main doctoral paper, which was called Marx, penseur de la technique (meaning Marx, the Man Who Thinks Through Technique). This paper explored how modern technology works, using ideas from philosophers like Martin Heidegger and Karl Marx. It became very important in the 1960s. He also wrote another paper about an ancient Greek philosopher named Heraclitus.

Writing and Influence

Axelos was also involved with a magazine called Arguments and started a book series with the same name. These projects helped connect thinkers across Europe who were interested in new ways of looking at Marxism, a way of thinking about society and economics. He wrote his books mostly in French, but also in Greek and German. His most famous book is Le Jeu du Monde (The Play of the World). Through all his work, Axelos played a big role in the world of ideas in France and Europe for over 50 years.

Understanding Kostas Axelos's Ideas

Kostas Axelos wanted to bring together old ideas from ancient Greece with modern ideas from thinkers like Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, and Heidegger. He hoped this would help solve some of the problems people saw in Marxism during his time. He especially used the ideas of Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, to understand the work of Marx.

Technology and Human Experience

Axelos was very interested in how technology affects human life. He looked at how things like the division of labor (different people doing different jobs), private property, and money can make people feel separated or "alienated" from their work and from each other. He connected these ideas to Heidegger's concept of how technology can make everything seem like a resource to be used. For Axelos, understanding technology in this broad way helped him question both modern society and Marxist ideas.

The "Game of the World"

Axelos often wrote in a poetic style, using short, powerful statements to connect different ideas. He tried to "listen" to what he called "the game of the world." He believed that by looking at the world this way, we could understand the hidden parts of Marxism and avoid ideas that were too focused on humans or that seemed to lead to nothing.

He described human existence as a continuous "wandering" through the complex "wholeness" of the world. To explain this state of "being-in-becoming," Axelos used the term "the game." This idea is central to his books, especially The Game of the World.

Open Marxism

Axelos's way of thinking is sometimes called 'Open Marxism.' He used this term himself. He believed that some parts of modern technological thinking needed to be questioned, even within Marx's own writings. Open Marxism tries to go beyond just the political ideas of Marxism. Instead, it aims to ask new questions and challenge existing ideas. Axelos emphasized that actions, whether political or otherwise, cannot be decided beforehand. His philosophy questions all forms of "closure" and is a type of open systems theory. He also called this "planetary thinking."

The Concept of "Play"

For Axelos, "play" (le jeu) was a very important idea. It wasn't just about childish games. He used it to describe how the world works (the "system of systems") and also as an ideal for a society where people feel connected and free.

Axelos believed that the difference between work (what we have to do) and play (what we do freely) should disappear. He saw this as a "world-play" (le jeu du monde). He also thought that the meaning of "Being" (our existence) has been forgotten in the modern world, and that "play" could help us remember it.

He argued that the process of globalization, which connects the world, is more open to change than some thinkers believed. The idea of "play" connects human activities with the activities of the world. It also links different parts of human life, like magic, myths, religion, poetry, politics, philosophy, and science, to each other and to the world. So, for Axelos, "play" is a very serious and deep concept, not just something for kids.

See also

• Open Marxism
• Becoming (philosophy)