ENGLISH

Making Sense of Marx

By Jon Elster

Book information

Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1985
ISBN
0521297052, 9780521297059, 0521228964, 9780521228961
LCC
HX39.5 .E44 1985
Open Library ID
OL21354153M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
25 MB (25944003 bytes)
Series
Studies in Marxism and Social Theory
Pages
576\584
Topic
Chemistry
Time added
2011-04-20 14:05:05

Description

A systematic, critical examination of Karl Marx's social theories and their philosophical presuppositions. Through extensive discussions of the texts Jon Elster offers a balanced and detailed account of Marx's views that is at once sympathetic, undogmatic and rigorous. Equally importantly he tries to assess 'what is living and what is dead in the philosophy of Marx', using the analytical resources of contemporary social science and philosophy. Professor Elster insists on the need for microfoundations in social science and provides a systematic criticism of functionalism and teleological thinking in Marx. He argues that Marx's economic theories are largely wrong or irrelevant; historical materialism is seen to have only limited plausibility (and is not even consistently applied by Marx); Marx's most lasting achievements are the criticism of capitalism in terms of alienation and exploitation and the theory of class struggle, politics and ideology under capitalism, though in these areas too Elster enters substantial qualifications. The book should take its place as the most comprehensive and sophisticated modern study available.

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