The force of will (and that of things). On the idea of historical progress in Gramsci’s philosophy of praxis

(Lecture for students of Philosophy – Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice – 18.2.2026)

Is humanity constantly progressing towards the better? Such a question may seem meaningless or unthinkable to our contemporaries, especially after the tragedies of the last century and and in light of the growing global existential crises of the present.

Immanuel Kant answered affirmatively in his time, drawing on the experience of the French Revolution as a sign of humanity’s moral tendency towards improvement, with the possible prospect of perpetual peace through a constitutional world federation. Another revolution was an opportunity for Antonio Gramsci to reflect on the link between will and historical evolution, beyond any determinism borrowed from the natural sciences.

How much influence do socio-economic structures have and how much do ideas have? How are the prediction of events and practice connected? How much can humanity influence its own destiny?