Why Read Marx Today?

by Jonathan Wolff (Other)

Overview

In recent years we could be forgiven for assuming that Marx has nothing left to say to us. Marxist regimes have failed miserably, and with them, it seemed, all reason to take Marx seriously. The fall of the Berlin Wall had enormous symbolic resonance: it was taken to be the fall of Marx as well as of Marxist politics and economics. This book argues that we can detach Marx the critic of current society from Marx the prophet of future society, and that he remains the most impressive critic we have of liberal, capitalist, bourgeois society. It also shows that the value of the 'great thinkers' does not depend on their views being true, but on other features such as their originality, insight, and systematic vision. On this account too Marx still richly deserves to be read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191622311
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	08/28/2003
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Jonathan Wolff is Professor of Philosophy at University College London. His books include the successful Introduction to Political Philosophy, OUP.

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Marx's Life and Works
• The Plan of this Book
• 1: Early Writings
• Religion
• The Philosophy of Historical Materialism
• Labour and Alienation
• Money and Credit
• Liberalism
• Emancipation
• 2: Class, History, and Capital
• History
• The Economics of Capitalism
• The Transition to Communism
• The Nature of Communism
• 3: Assessment
• Early Writings
• Theory of History
• Economics
• Communism
• Human Nature
• Conclusion
• Guide to References and Further Reading

Editorial Reviews

"An engaging read. The author...is a particularly skillful elucidator of political philosophy. In his book, he argues that Marx was misunderstood and that the great man was right about far more than he is given credit for."—The Economist

From the Publisher