Marx's Concept of the Alternative to Capitalism

by Peter Hudis

Overview

In contrast to the traditional view that Marx's work is restricted to a critique of capitalism – and that he consciously avoided any detailed conception of its alternative – this work shows that Marx was committed to a specific concept of a post-capitalist society which informed the whole of his approach to political economy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608462759
Publisher:	Haymarket Books
Publication date:	10/22/2013
Series:	Historical Materialism , #36
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Peter Hudis Ph.D. (2011) in Philosophy, Loyola UniversityChicago, is Professor of Humanities and Philosophy, Oakton Community College. He has published extensively on Marxist theory and is General Editor of The Complete Works of Rosa Luxemburg

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Why Explore Marx’s Concept of the Transcendence of Value Production? Why Now?
The object and purpose of this study
Objectivist and subjectivist approaches to Marx’s philosophical contribution

1. The Transcendence of Alienation in the Writings of the Young Marx
Marx’s beginnings, 1837–41
Marx’s critique of politics and philosophy, 1842–3
Marx’s critique of economics and philosophy, 1843–4
Discerning the ideal within the real, 1845–8
Evaluating the young Marx’s concept of a postcapitalist society

2. The Conception of a Postcapitalist Society in the Drafts of Capital
The ‘first draft’ of Capital: The Poverty of Philosophy (1847)
The ‘second draft’ of Capital: the Grundrisse (1858)
The ‘third draft’ of Capital: the manuscript of 1861–3

3. The Vision o the New Society in Marx’s Capital
Volume I of Capital
Volumes II and III of Capital

4. Marx’s Late Writings on Postcapitalist Society
The impact of the Paris Commune on Marx
The Critique of the Gotha Programme and ‘Notes on Wagner’

Conclusion: Evaluating Marx's Concept of a Postcapitalist Society

Appendix: Translation of Marx's Excerpt-Notes on the Chapter 'Absolute Knowledge' in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit

Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

This is a timely and important book. Exploring the whole range of Marx’s texts, Peter Hudis makes a powerful case for a coherent Marxian vision of a society beyond capitalism, alienated labour and the commodity form. Thanks to Hudis, readers interested in anti-capitalist alternatives and Marx’s radical worldview finally have the work they’ve been looking for.”
—David McNally

"A particular strength of Hudis's book is that it examines the full sweep of Marx's writings, rather than focus on one particular text or period of Marx's life. No stone is left unturned in attempting to uncover the implicit conception of an alternative. The scope of this allows him to include a number of texts which are often overlooked in this discussion, and offer a number of novel interpretations of works usually discussed in different contexts."
—David Swain, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books

“The main strength of [this] book is that in following Marx’s writings from 1839 to 1881 Hudis has indeed found many implicit and explicit indications about a possible future non-alienating society. His interpretations are based on Marx’s writings as a whole and allow the reader to hear Marx think over the course of forty years. At the same time, the author is well versed in political economy and the writings of the various schools of Marxism from Marx’s time on, and reveals that he has thought through a variety of points of view and criticisms when presenting his arguments.”
—Radical Philosophy Review


“This is a timely and important book. Exploring the whole range of Marx’s texts, Peter Hudis makes a powerful case for a coherent Marxian vision of a society beyond capitalism, alienated labour and the commodity form. Thanks to Hudis, readers interested in anti-capitalist alternatives and Marx’s radical worldview finally have the work they’ve been looking for.”
—David McNally

"A particular strength of Hudis's book is that it examines the full sweep of Marx's writings, rather than focus on one particular text or period of Marx's life. No stone is left unturned in attempting to uncover the implicit conception of an alternative. The scope of this allows him to include a number of texts which are often overlooked in this discussion, and offer a number of novel interpretations of works usually discussed in different contexts."
—David Swain, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books

“The main strength of [this] book is that in following Marx’s writings from 1839 to 1881 Hudis has indeed found many implicit and explicit indications about a possible future non-alienating society. His interpretations are based on Marx’s writings as a whole and allow the reader to hear Marx think over the course of forty years. At the same time, the author is well versed in political economy and the writings of the various schools of Marxism from Marx’s time on, and reveals that he has thought through a variety of points of view and criticisms when presenting his arguments.”
—Radical Philosophy Review

From the Publisher