Creative Autonomy

Toni Negri on the revolutionary potential of creative autonomy as a way out and forward.

In this engaging dialogue, Toni Negri explores his philosophical and political journey, spanning from his early engagement with Marxism and workerism (operaismo) to his later involvement with autonomist movements and the development of his thought alongside influential figures like Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, and Félix Guattari. The conversation delves into Negri’s reflections on his experiences, his theoretical contributions, and the intersections between his political activism and philosophical inquiries. It covers a wide range of topics, including his time in prison, his work on Spinoza and the concept of the multitude, and his critical stance towards traditional Marxism and the Frankfurt School.

Additionally, the dialogue touches on contemporary issues, such as the war in Ukraine, showcasing Negri’s ongoing engagement with current political dynamics. Throughout, Negri emphasizes the importance of immanentist philosophy, creative autonomy, and the role of living labor in resisting and shaping the conditions of capitalism, offering insights into his contributions to post-Marxist thought and the global left.

I am particularly interested in Toni Negri’s thoughts on creative autonomy, particularly within the framework of his thought and broader continental philosophy. It touches upon the ability of individuals or collectives to generate, define, and pursue their life projects independently of predetermined structures or external constraints. This idea resonates with Negri’s engagement with Spinoza, where autonomy is seen not just in the political sense of self-governance but in a deeply creative and ontological sense. Here’s how we can understand and contextualize creative autonomy:

1. Autonomy as Creative Force

Creative autonomy suggests that individuals or collectives are not merely free to make choices within a given set of options but can create those options themselves. This is autonomy exercised not just in selecting paths but in forging them, implying a fundamental creative capability intrinsic to being.

2. Immanentism and Creative Production

Negri, drawing from Spinoza, emphasizes immanentism — a philosophical stance positing that the divine or the ultimate reality is inherent within the world and its processes, not transcendent or external to it. In this light, creative autonomy is the human capacity to produce reality, values, and meaning from within oneself, rather than adhering to externally imposed forms or ideals. This is about shaping one’s essence and existence from the immanence of one’s own being and relations.

3. Against Determinism

The notion of creative autonomy is a stance against determinism, whether of a Marxist, capitalist, or any other ideological form. It posits that history and society are not shaped by inexorable forces or laws but by the creative actions of autonomous agents. This perspective does not deny structures or constraints but emphasizes the capacity to transcend and redefine them through collective action and intellectual endeavor.

4. Multitude and Collective Creativity

Negri and others in the post-Marxist tradition often speak of the “multitude” — a concept that embodies the collective, networked, and plural forms of creative autonomy. Unlike the homogenizing notion of “the masses,” the multitude represents diverse, interconnected individuals and groups exercising their creative powers in concert. This collective autonomy is seen as a driving force for societal transformation and resistance against oppressive structures.

5. Ethical and Political Dimensions

Creative autonomy also has profound ethical and political implications. It calls for a radical rethinking of democracy, where democracy is not merely a matter of choosing representatives or policies within a given framework but actively participating in the creation of that framework itself. This vision of democracy is direct, participatory, and predicated on the creative capacities of all members of society.

6. Critique and Transformation

Finally, creative autonomy is critical and transformative. It involves a constant process of critiquing existing conditions and imagining alternative possibilities. This is not a utopian endeavor but a practical one, grounded in the real, lived experiences of struggle and resistance. It is about finding new ways of living, relating, and organizing that are more just, equitable, and fulfilling.

In summary, creative autonomy represents a foundational principle for understanding freedom, creativity, and resistance in contemporary continental philosophy. It is at once a description of human capacity, a goal of political struggle, and a guiding ethic for individual and collective life.

Critiques of Creative Autonomy

While the concept of creative autonomy presents an inspiring vision of freedom and self-determination, it faces several critiques, particularly regarding its practical applicability and its assumptions about individual and collective capacities. One significant critique is that creative autonomy may underestimate the depth and resilience of structural constraints on individual and collective agency. Social, economic, and political structures — such as systemic inequality, institutionalized power dynamics, and entrenched cultural norms — can severely limit the ability of individuals and collectives to exercise creative autonomy in meaningful ways.

This critique argues that focusing on the creative power of autonomy without adequately addressing these structural constraints risks idealizing individual agency in a vacuum, potentially overlooking the material conditions and systemic changes needed to enable genuine autonomy for all. Furthermore, the emphasis on creativity and self-making might inadvertently reinforce neoliberal ideals of self-responsibility and individualism, detracting from the collective struggle against structural oppressions and the need for systemic transformations.

This critique is not wrong, and I think we should be suspicious of any emphasis on the individual as the seat of social and political power. But I think it also misses an important lesson of identity politics, and that is that resistance to oppressive systems, and boycotts and protest, is not enough. We also have to engage in the building of alternatives, even at small scales and in all precariousness, in the hopes that some of these alternatives will become tools for creating new ways of life.