Bill Martin

Who was Bill Martin?

Bill Martin is a professor of Philosophy at DePaul University is best known for his work on Derrida, Sartre, Marxist theory, Aesthetics, and his critiques of Richard Rorty. Martin has written a few books on the subject of Prog Rock and bands like Yes. He also considers himself a Maoist; however rejects certain dogmatic principles of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. For many years, he expressed an affinity to the work of the Revolutionary Communist Party and its chairman, Bob Avakian.

Beyond the relationship there are some major theoretical and philosophical differences as can be seen in the book co-written by both Avakian and Martin, "A Call to the Future," such as the question of the Ethical, the relation of productive forces to our contingency, and the legacy of Christianity. While Avakian has a stricter take on Marxism and the dialectical relationship between Morality and the economic base, Martin argues for a new Kantian re-envisioning of Ethics within Marxism.

Bill Martin's connection to Avakian ended abruptly in 2008, and was explained with publication of Martin's work "Going Forward From Here" which contains a sharp critique of the RCP and the discussion of the break.