Book Cover
E-book
Author Wolff, Jonathan

Title Why read Marx today? / Jonathan Wolff
Published Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2003

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Description 1 online resource (viii, 136 pages)
Contents Introduction : Marx's life and works ; The plan of this book -- 1. Early writings : Introduction ; Religion ; The philosophy of historical materialism ; Labour and alienation ; Money and credit ; Liberalism ; Emancipation ; Conclusion -- 2. Class, history, and capital : Class ; History ; The economics of capitalism ; The transition to communism ; The nature of communism -- 3. Assessment : Introduction ; Early writings ; Theory of history ; Economics ; Communism ; Human nature ; Conclusion
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
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 127-129) and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Marx, Karl, 1818-1883.
SUBJECT Marx, Karl, 1818-1883 fast
Marx, Karl 1818-1883 gnd
Marx, Karl. swd
Subject POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Ideologies -- Communism & Socialism.
Marxismus
Marxisme.
Economic theory & philosophy.
Economics.
Literary theory.
Marxism & Communism.
Political science & theory.
Politics and Government.
Form Electronic book
ISBN 0585486131
9780585486130
0192803352
9780192803351
9780192805058
0192805053
0191622311
9780191622311