A thinker’s sources cannot explain the originality of their thought

Evidence

The problem of the “origins” of Marx’s thought has not been properly considered: a detailed study of his philosophical culture (and of the general philosophical environment in which he was formed directly and indirectly) is certainly necessary, but only as the premiss for a far more important study, that of his own “original” philosophy, which cannot be exhausted by study of a few “sources” or his personal “culture”. It is necessary, first of all, to take account of his creative and constructive activity. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1378

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes ‘origins’ research (contextual premiss) from study of ‘original’ philosophy (the creative core) — a methodological distinction worth carrying.
• XREF: Parallels how the Islamophobia field distinguishes genealogies/histories of the concept from the constructive theory itself. — connects to: A thinker’s own thought must be separated from earlier material that only stimulated it; Mechanical causality cannot account for qualitative change or historical novelty.; Original thought can also inherit a prior heritage (+3 more)
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1378