The philosophical basis of Henri Lefebvre

It has been almost two decades since Lefebvre’s thoughts penetrated the Western rationality in the field of geography, urban studies, planning, and architecture. Today, Lefebvre’s book “The Production of Space” is routinely quoted. It seems, however, that Iranian Academia has been remained untouched in terms of Lefebvre’s ideas. This Article then wishes to fill the gab in question. In so doing, I shall begin with philosophical foundations of Lefebvre’s approach since it is believed that these foundations enable us to better understand his urban theories in general and his spatial concepts developed in Urban Revolution, The Production of Space, and Writings on Cities in particular. Drawing on Lefebvre’s philosophical bases, this article begins with explaining logic of dialectic in Lefebvre’s thought. It aims at clarifying the relation between Lefebvrian dialectic and Hegelian and Marxian ones. Then I will turn to the influence of Nietzsche on Lefebvre’s dialectical point of view. This furnishes a basis for developing his dialectical view in urban conceptualising the urban. Finally, the way Lefebvre uses dialectic as a methodological tool in rural sociology is briefly touched upon.