Marx: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions X)
by Peter Singer
published
January 18th 2001
by Oxford University Press, USA
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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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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 48)
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
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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
An interesting point to note: at the book's end, in addition to commenting on the unf...more
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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
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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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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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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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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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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