Editing Neo-Marxism (section)

==== Aleatory Materialism ====
In some papers written between 1982 and 1986, Althusser criticizes how Marxism is connected to dialectical materialism and materialist philosophy in general. Instead, he introduces a new idea called the Philosophy of the Encounter, later called Aleatory Materialism. Althusser believes that thinkers like Marx, Democritus, Epicurus, and others already hinted at this idea. He argues against the idea that history follows strict laws like physics, saying that history is more about chance events than predetermined rules. Instead of focusing on general laws, Althusser says we should look at specific historical moments, called conjunctures, where political action can make a difference. Aleatory Materialism is about understanding these moments in history from a materialist perspective.