About the Book
The writings of Karl Marx (1818–1883) have left an indelible mark not only on the understanding of economics and political thought but on the lives of millions of people who lived in regimes that claimed (wrongly) his influence. Trained as a philosopher and steeped in the thought of Hegel, Marx turned away from Hegelian philosophy after 1845 towards a philosophy that incorporated economics and history. It is this Marx that endures and to which this outstanding introduction is devoted.
Jaime Edwards and Brian Leiter begin with an overview of Marx's life and intellectual development, including his early years as a journalist in Germany before his exile in London. They then introduce and assess the fundamental elements of Marx’s thought:
Marx’s theory of history and historical change (historical materialism)
class conflict, the state, and the Communist revolution
Marx’s theory of economics, especially the labour theory of value, and his prediction of the collapse of capitalism
the nature and role of ideology in Marx’s thought
Marx’s theory of human nature and the good life, including his arguments concerning alienation
Marx’s legacy and influence, including Western Marxism, the Frankfurt School, and “feminist Marxism”.
Including annotated further reading suggestions at the end of each chapter and a glossary of technical terms, this is an indispensable introduction to Marx's philosophical thought. It will also be extremely useful to those in related disciplines such as politics, sociology, history, and political economy.
Table of Contents:
Preface and Acknowledgments 1. Life, Work and Intellectual Development 2. Marx’s Theory of History: Historical Materialism and the Hegelian Background 3. Class Conflict, the State, and the Communist Revolution 4. Marx’s Economics and the Collapse of Capitalism 5. Ideology 6. Human Nature and the Good Life: the Public/Private Distinction and Alienation in Marx’s Early Writings 7. Legacy and Influence. Glossary Bibliography Index
About the Author :
Jaime Edwards is Assistant Profesor of Philosophy at Oberlin College, USA.
Brian Leiter is the Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the Center for Law, Philosophy, and Human Values at the University of Chicago, USA, where he teaches and writes about moral, political, and legal philosophy in both the Anglophone and Continental European traditions.
Review :
"[I]t is certainly an extremely useful book that should become a standard book for students and anybody interested in understanding Marx. Other books purport to do that, but not usually with this level of communicative skill. It's written by philosophers who can write and who are thinking critically about what they are writing about. It's not an inert summary, but something that brings Marxist ideas alive, and shows their strengths and limitations." - Nigel Warburton, Five Books, Best Philosophy Books of 2024
"Karl Marx is simultaneously one of the most important and most mischaracterized philosophers of the last 200 years. And yet there has been no clear, transparent introduction to the life and works of Marx, until now. Students and newcomers to Marx's writings will find in this text an approachable but rigorous introduction to his central ideas in philosophy, politics, and economics. ... [T]his is also a work of scholarship in which Edwards and Leiter develop and defend a plausible reading of the historical materialism theory, showing both how it represents the correct movement away from Hegel's dialectical idealism and again demonstrating the practical importance of the theory, including how the failure of the Bolsheviks to embrace it ultimately led to problems for the Russian Revolution. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers." - CHOICE
"A tour de force. Not only the best available introduction to Marx’s thought and to post-Marx Marxist theories, but also of interest to specialists. The organization is excellent, and the writing is always clear and jargon-free. It covers all the main topics that a book on Marx should address. It is remarkably fair and balanced, sympathetic to Marx’s ideas, but also appropriately critical of them." - Allen Buchanan, Duke University, USA
"A philosophical introduction to Marx which manages to be genuinely accessible without avoiding controversy or consigning its subject to history. Edwards and Leiter bring Marx into a productive conversation with current work in the social sciences in order to develop and defend distinctive accounts of his views on history, ideology, and capitalism. A very welcome addition to the literature." - David Leopold, University of Oxford, UK
"[I]t is certainly an extremely useful book that should become a standard book for students and anybody interested in understanding Marx. Other books purport to do that, but not usually with this level of communicative skill. It's written by philosophers who can write and who are thinking critically about what they are writing about. It's not an inert summary, but something that brings Marxist ideas alive, and shows their strengths and limitations." - Nigel Warburton, Five Books, Best Philosophy Books of 2024
"Karl Marx is simultaneously one of the most important and most mischaracterized philosophers of the last 200 years. And yet there has been no clear, transparent introduction to the life and works of Marx, until now. Students and newcomers to Marx's writings will find in this text an approachable but rigorous introduction to his central ideas in philosophy, politics, and economics. ... [T]his is also a work of scholarship in which Edwards and Leiter develop and defend a plausible reading of the historical materialism theory, showing both how it represents the correct movement away from Hegel's dialectical idealism and again demonstrating the practical importance of the theory, including how the failure of the Bolsheviks to embrace it ultimately led to problems for the Russian Revolution. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers." - CHOICE
"A tour de force. Not only the best available introduction to Marx’s thought and to post-Marx Marxist theories, but also of interest to specialists. The organization is excellent, and the writing is always clear and jargon-free. It covers all the main topics that a book on Marx should address. It is remarkably fair and balanced, sympathetic to Marx’s ideas, but also appropriately critical of them." - Allen Buchanan, Duke University, USA
"A philosophical introduction to Marx which manages to be genuinely accessible without avoiding controversy or consigning its subject to history. Edwards and Leiter bring Marx into a productive conversation with current work in the social sciences in order to develop and defend distinctive accounts of his views on history, ideology, and capitalism. A very welcome addition to the literature." - David Leopold, University of Oxford, UK
