Why Read Marx Today?

by Wolff, Jonathan

• ISBN13: 9780192805058
• ISBN10: 0192805053
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The fall of the Berlin Wall had enormous symbolic resonance, marking the collapse of Marxist politics and economics. Indeed, Marxist regimes have failed miserably, and with them, it seems, all reason to take the writings of Karl Marx seriously. Jonathan Wolff argues that if we detach Marx the critic of current society from Marx the prophet of some never-to-be-realized worker's paradise, he remains the most impressive critic we have of liberal, capitalist, bourgeois society. The author shows how Marx's main ideas still shed light on wider concerns about culture and society and he guides the reader through Marx's notoriously difficult writings. Wolff also argues that the value of a great thinker does not depend on his or her views being true, but on other features such as originality, insight, and systematic vision. From this perspective, Marx still richly deserves to be read. Why Read Marx Today? reinstates Marx as an important critic of current society, and not just a figure of historical interest.

Author Biography

Jonathan Wolff is Professor of Philosophy at University College London.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Marx's Life and Works

The Plan of this Book

Early Writings Introduction

Religion

The Philosophy of Historical Materialism

Labour and Alienation

Money and Credit

Liberalism

Emancipation

Class, History, and Capital Class

History

The Economics of Capitalism

The Transition to Communism

The Nature of Communism

Assessment Introduction

Early Writings

Theory of History

Economics

Communism

Human Nature

Conclusion

Guide to References and Further Reading

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