The Theory, Not the Theorist: The Case of Karl Marx

by Rodger Beehler

Overview

The Theory, Not the Theorist recovers Karl Marx's social thought from the uncongenial embrace of "Marxism." In order to do this, author Rodger Beehler first establishes that the explanation of historical change implicit in Marx's investigations of feudalism, capitalism, and European imperialism is not the "historical materialist" theory that he frequently claimed to have discovered. Secondly, the book shows that these two types of explanations are contradictory, and reveals Marx's actual (and largely unread) historical investigations to be a deeply prescient understanding of European history and politics. The result is a compelling reading of Marx applicable to today's world of global economies, imperialist politics, and eroding domestic liberties and livelihoods.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761834038
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/26/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	190
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.39(d)

About the Author

Rodger Beehler is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Calgary and earlier studied at Oxford University and the University of Manitoba. Dr. Beehler is an accomplished author with numerous published articles and academic texts, among them Moral Life (1978).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Preface
Chapter 2 Functional Explanation and History
Chapter 3 Productive Activity and Social Forms
Chapter 4 The Theory, Not the Theorist: The Case of Marx
Chapter 5 Marx's Explanation of Historical Change
Chapter 6 Reading Marx
Chapter 7 Endnotes