Marx: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions X)

by Peter Singer

Marx: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions X)

book data

26 ratings, 4.00 average rating, 7 reviews (more data...)

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published

January 18th 2001 by Oxford University Press, USA

binding

Paperback, 120 pages

isbn

0192854054 (isbn13: 9780192854056)

description

Peter Singer identifies the central vision that unifies Marx's thought, enabling us to grasp Marx's views as a whole. He sees him as a philosopher pr...more

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All ratings | 5 stars (7) | 4 stars (13) | 3 stars (5) | 2 stars (1) | avg 4.00

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A rated it:

08/03/08

Clear. Biographical, bibliographical, philosophical, in that order.

But Mr. Singer neglects to answer the one question I had hoped he would be able to shed light on, namely, what about communism for dolphins? In the final chapter, Singer suggests that we've got two fields of data that Marx did not: (1) We watched communisms-in-practise fail and (2) we know that many other species of animal are "naturally" egoistic and/or hierarchical.

I propose we increase dolphins' means of producti...more

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Megan

Megan rated it:

(review of isbn 0192875108)

01/06/08

bookshelves: economy, non-fiction, philosophy

Read in January, 2008

Singer's lucid writing allows him to pack quite a bit into this rather short book, in which he presents key points from Marx's works with precision and clarity. I think this would be an excellent choice for anyone looking for an introduction to Marx's thought. For me, it was a good and quick refresher on some central concepts and vocabulary in Marx that had slipped since my Soc class first year of undergrad.

An interesting point to note: at the book's end, in addition to commenting on the unf...more

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Abe

Abe rated it:

05/17/07

Read in March, 2005

One of the more interesting facts (and there is no shortage of them) to emerge from this book, for me, is the amount of time Marx spent writing revenge-minded, polemical, hatchet jobs directed at other thinkers of his era who disagreed with him. One wonders what other brilliant insights he might have produced had he simply ignored his critics and gotten on with his studies. Of course, it is this chip on his shoulder that makes much of Marx’s work so fun to read (they, the proletariat, will w...more One of the more interesting facts (and there is no shortage of them) to emerge from this book, for me, is the amount of time Marx spent writing revenge-minded, polemical, hatchet jobs directed at other thinkers of his era who disagreed with him. One wonders what other brilliant insights he might have produced had he simply ignored his critics and gotten on with his studies. Of course, it is this chip on his shoulder that makes much of Marx’s work so fun to read (they, the proletariat, will wad the capitalists into little balls and eat them, etc.). Ultimately, as revealed by Singer, when viewed from a scientific paradigm, Marx proves to be a pedestrian (at best) scientist, in terms of economic and historical theory—many of his predictions, which he based on the “science” of his findings, have proved either completely inaccurate (at worst) or yet to occur (at best). Nonetheless, when viewed as a philosopher rather than a scientist, Marx’s “work endures…[and:] has altered our understanding of our own nature, and deepened our grasp of what it is to be free.” By taking the Hegelian ball and running with it, his insights have shown us that, while rational defenses of capitalism hold up within its own terms, when viewed from a wider historical perspective, “the liberal definition of freedom is open to a fundamental objection.” This objection, in a nutshell, is that individual rationality can lead to collective irrationality—in other words, when people act “freely” in their own interests, a situation can result that negatively impacts a community as a whole—thus, through no fault of their own, individuals can find their freedom curtailed merely by the dynamics of the capitalist system they live under, and this is paradoxical. There is no discounting the impact Marx has had and continues to have upon the world, both for good and ill. Singer’s gift to us is a clear stating and eloquent assessment of the merits and defects of Marx’s major ideas—that he accomplishes this in exactly 100 pages is remarkable....less

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Anders

Anders rated it:

09/22/08

bookshelves: recentlyfinished

Read in July, 2008

A great entry in a great series. A robust yet understandable critical take on Marx. This book looks at his legacy and his continued impact, yet without shirking from his problematics. Relatively painless. I think I'm ready for a less-short introduction, which I think means this book did what it set out to do.

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leighcia

leighcia rated it:

09/26/08

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in September, 2008

This was an interesting and easy to understand introduction into Karl Marx’s life, ideas and influence. Singer particularly highlighted Karl Marx’s biography (his surprisingly unproletariat life), his evolution of thought, key concepts and his influences.

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Jack

Jack rated it:

08/14/08

bookshelves: nonfiction, politics

Cute little gem. Easy enough. A bit boring, but maybe that's Marx's fault and not Singer's. The last chapter is the best: a great overview of what Marx got right and what he got wrong.

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Pejman

Pejman rated it:

08/30/07

Read in May, 2006

i have read some books about great Marx and his philosophy, but, just in this book i could find something new about his dialectic.

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