Overview
- Draws on contemporary methodological work on realism political theory to reconstruct Marx’s critique of capitalism
- Contributes to contemporary debates about how freedom should be understood
- Defends Marx’s analysis against some of his most important critics, such as Max Weber and Friedrich Hayek
Part of the book series: Marx, Engels, and Marxisms (MAENMA)
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Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Human Development and Freedom
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Front Matter
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Alienation and Democracy
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Front Matter
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Alienation: The Unfreedom of Capitalism
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book offers the first realist reconstruction of Marx’s critique of capitalism. Reading Marx through a realist lens enables us to make sense of the connections between (1) Marx’s positive concept of freedom, rooted in a theory of human development, (2) his understanding of alienation as diagnosing capitalist unfreedom, and (3) his conceptions of democracy and socialism, respectively, as the cures for this unfreedom. Along the way, it discusses and responds to some of Marx’s most insightful critics, such as Max Weber and Friedrich Hayek. This clarifies Marx’s ideas for a new generation of political thinkers; explains the challenge they pose to contemporary debates about freedom, democracy, and future economic institutions; and demonstrates that these ideas remain both defensible and compelling.
Reviews
“This is an important and ambitious piece of work. It develops a number of large-scale and bold theses about Marx’s method in political theory, his critique of capitalism and his vision of a better society. It is well researched and well argued. It will have a significant impact on debates about these issues.” (—Sean Sayers, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Kent, UK)
“This sober and wide-ranging work is a clear and thoughtful account of some of Marx's central concepts and theses, and a spirited defense of their relevance as tools for understanding and criticising contemporary society. It will be of interest to anyone who wishes to know where we are and where we might go.” (—Raymond Geuss FBA, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge, UK)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Paul Raekstad is an Assistant Professor of Political Theory at the University of Amsterdam working on radical political theory, in particular Marxism, anarchism, prefigurative politics, and direct action. They co-authored Prefigurative Politics: Building Tomorrow Today (2020).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Karl Marx's Realist Critique of Capitalism
Book Subtitle: Freedom, Alienation, and Socialism
Authors: Paul Raekstad
Series Title: Marx, Engels, and Marxisms
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06353-4
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-06352-7Published: 14 October 2022
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-06355-8Published: 15 October 2023
eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-06353-4Published: 13 October 2022
Series ISSN: 2524-7123
Series E-ISSN: 2524-7131
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: X, 285
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: Political Theory, Political Sociology, Political Philosophy