Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844

by Marx, Karl

• ISBN13: 9780486455617
• ISBN10: 0486455610
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-04-19
• Publisher: Dover Publications

Summary

Written in 1844 as a series of notes, Marx's posthumously published critiques on the conditions of modern industrialist societies form the foundation of the author's denunciation of capitalism. Combining elements of psychology, sociology, and anthropology, it is a profound examination of the human condition rooted in a philosophy of economics. In this concise treatise, Marx presents an indictment of capitalism and its threat to the working man, his sense of self, and his ultimate potential. With a focus on "Marxist Humanism," he describes the alienation of laborers in a capitalist system: since the results of their work belong to someone else, they are estranged from their own labor and can never function as freely productive beings. Through a powerful mixture of history and economics, Marx explores the degenerative effect of capitalism on the proletariat and his true human nature. Regarded as one of his most important books, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 is a first glimpse at Marx's fascinating transition from philosophy to economics. Accessible and influential, it is an important predecessor to the Communist Manifesto and essential to an understanding of Marxist theory. Book jacket.

Author Biography

The preeminent socialist thinker of the 19th century, Karl Marx (1818–83) proclaimed that "History is economics in action." His revolutionary theories laid the cornerstones for many of the 20th century's Communist regimes.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 7
Translator's Note on Terminology	p. 10
Preface	p. 14
Wages of Labour	p. 20
Profit of Capital	p. 36
Capital	p. 36
The Profit of Capital	p. 37
The Rule of Capital over Labour and the Motives of the Capitalist	p. 40
The Accumulation of Capitals and the Competition Amongst the Capitalists	p. 41
Rent of Land	p. 52
[Estranged Labour]	p. 67
[Antithesis of Capital and Labour. Landed Property and Capital]	p. 84
[Private Property and Labour. Views of the Merchantile System and Physiocracy, Adam Smith, Ricardo and His School]	p. 93
[Private Property and Communism. Various Stages of Development of Communist Views. Crude, Equalitarian Communism and Communism as Socialism Coinciding with Humaneness]	p. 98
[The Meaning of Human Requirements Where There Is Private Property and Under Socialism. The Difference Between Extravagant Wealth and Industrial Wealth. Division of Labour in Bourgeois Society]	p. 115
[The Power of Money in Bourgeois Society]	p. 136
[Critique of the Hegelian Dialectic and Philosophy as a Whole]	p. 142
Outlines of a Critique of Political Economy	p. 173
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