The Ringing Call of The Gallic Cock: On Marx’s Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right
Thomas Riggins
Abstract
This article, The Ringing Call of the Gallic Cock: On Marx’s Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, revisits Karl Marx’s 1844 essay, Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Law: Introduction, to explore its enduring philosophical and political significance for contemporary revolutionary struggles. Thomas Riggins argues that while Marx’s famous dictum that “religion is the opium of the people” has often been reduced to a critique of faith, the essay’s central thrust lies in its call for a materialist humanism — one that exposes religious illusion as the reflection of material distress and insists that human emancipation requires transforming the social conditions that make such illusions necessary. By situating Marx’s critique of religion within his broader analysis of alienation, law, and the state, Riggins highlights its relevance to the present era of imperialism, neoliberal crisis, and the resurgence of reactionary religiosity across the globe. The paper connects Marx’s insights to modern struggles against U.S. imperialism, global capitalism, and religious fundamentalism, arguing that philosophy and theory, once grasped by the masses, become a material force for liberation. Through this synthesis, Riggins reaffirms Marx’s conviction that the “criticism of heaven” must become the “criticism of the earth” — a revolutionary process in which thought prepares the ground for praxis. The article concludes by affirming the contemporary vitality of Marx’s materialist critique as both a guide to revolutionary theory and a moral compass for the working-class movement today.
Keywords
Marxism, critique of religion, Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, materialist humanism, revolutionary theory, Thomas Riggins
