Since the collapse of Euro-Communism in 1989, the ideas of Marx have largely been discarded as little more than historical relics. There is a good reason for the neglect. The governments that Marxism spawns are among ...Since the collapse of Euro-Communism in 1989, the ideas of Marx have largely been discarded as little more than historical relics. There is a good reason for the neglect. The governments that Marxism spawns are among the most brutal in history. Equally condemnable for a philosopher who bases his theory on a science of historical development, most of Marx's key predictions turn out to be incorrect. What then is left of Marx's principles? This paper argues that Marx is best understood as a critic of the injustice of industrial societies. Marx's essential critical concept is alienation. The paper presents the first complete analysis of Marx's treatment of alienation and offers a brief assessment of how this concept applies to our time.展开更多
文摘Since the collapse of Euro-Communism in 1989, the ideas of Marx have largely been discarded as little more than historical relics. There is a good reason for the neglect. The governments that Marxism spawns are among the most brutal in history. Equally condemnable for a philosopher who bases his theory on a science of historical development, most of Marx's key predictions turn out to be incorrect. What then is left of Marx's principles? This paper argues that Marx is best understood as a critic of the injustice of industrial societies. Marx's essential critical concept is alienation. The paper presents the first complete analysis of Marx's treatment of alienation and offers a brief assessment of how this concept applies to our time.