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Marx: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions #28)
by
Peter Singer (Goodreads Author)
In Marx: A Very Short Introdution, 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 primarily concerned with human freedom, rather than as an economist or a social scientist. In plain English, he explains alienation, historical materialism, the economic theory of Capital, and
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Paperback, 108 pages
Published
2001
by Oxford University Press
(first published 1980)
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Jabbar Rafique
*Singer. Typo.
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(showing 1-30)
بعد از گذشت بیش از یک قرن، اغلب پیش بینی های مارکس به قدری آشکارا نادرست از آب در آمده اند که آدم از دیدن کسانی که با مارکس همدلند و سعی می کنند نشان دهند که بزرگی مارکس در جنبه های "علمی" کارش نهفته است به تعجب می افتد. فاصلۀ میان فقیر و غنی در کل جهان صنعتی کاهش یافته است. دلیل این امر عمدتاً افزایش دستمزدهای واقعی است. امروزه درآمد کارگران کارخانه ها به مراتب بیش از آن است که برای "تنها زنده ماندن" به آن نیاز دارند. آهنگ سود به طور مستمر کاهش نیافته است. سرمایه داری بحران های متعددی را پشت سر
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Singer looks at Marx, the Philosopher, and relegates Marx, the Economist to the background. This allows Singer to put aside all the 'refuted' aspects of Marx and focus on the key and relevant ideas. Singer discusses alienation and historical materialism in some detail and tracks their evolution in Marx's thought, but the most interesting segment is when he tries to pin down marx's own conceptions of what a communist utopia should be like. Turns out Marx was extremely pragmatic about it and let s ...more
Apr 09, 2017
Mohammad
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
فلسفه-و-جامعه-شناسی
نسبت به حجم 140 صفحه ای آن، کتاب بسیار خوبی است: کتابی از سری «مقدمه بسیار کوتاه» آکسفورد که نشر ماهی کمر به ترجمه آنها بسته است
لب کلام نویسنده این است که مارکس را باید به عنوان یک فیلسوف منتقد مهم دانست، اما به عنوان یک دانشمند علم اقتصاد که با علمی دانستن نظریه خود پیشگویی هم کرده است نباید به او دل بست. این رویکرد را بسیاری به مارکس دارند. به عبارت دیگر، جنبه سلبی آثار مارکس (تحلیل اقتصاد سرمایه داری و روابط اجتماعی برآمده از آن)، بسیار بسیار مهم تر از از جنبه ایجابی آنها (پیش بینی و تجویز ان ...more
لب کلام نویسنده این است که مارکس را باید به عنوان یک فیلسوف منتقد مهم دانست، اما به عنوان یک دانشمند علم اقتصاد که با علمی دانستن نظریه خود پیشگویی هم کرده است نباید به او دل بست. این رویکرد را بسیاری به مارکس دارند. به عبارت دیگر، جنبه سلبی آثار مارکس (تحلیل اقتصاد سرمایه داری و روابط اجتماعی برآمده از آن)، بسیار بسیار مهم تر از از جنبه ایجابی آنها (پیش بینی و تجویز ان ...more
Oct 15, 2009
Ahmad Sharabiani
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review of another edition
Shelves:
historical,
biography,
philosophy,
political,
sociology,
non-fiction,
economic,
20th-century
Marx: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions #28), Peter Singer
مارکس 1818 - 1883 بنیانگذار تفسیر مادی از تاریخ و منادی جنگ طبقاتی، تاثیر مارکس بر علم اقتصاد، فلسفه و تمامی شعب اندیشه های اجتماعی و سیاسی بی تردید بسیار عمیق بوده است. از نظر سینگر، دلمشغولی اصلی مارکس، آزادی انسان بوده است. چشم انتظار جامعه ای کمونیستی که می بایست سرشت انسان را متحول کند
مارکس 1818 - 1883 بنیانگذار تفسیر مادی از تاریخ و منادی جنگ طبقاتی، تاثیر مارکس بر علم اقتصاد، فلسفه و تمامی شعب اندیشه های اجتماعی و سیاسی بی تردید بسیار عمیق بوده است. از نظر سینگر، دلمشغولی اصلی مارکس، آزادی انسان بوده است. چشم انتظار جامعه ای کمونیستی که می بایست سرشت انسان را متحول کند
A book about Marx and Marxism, more about Marx than Marxism. OK, OK, you got that from the title, I just wanted to underscore the point that the book is a cross between a short biography and an introduction to Marxism, which I think is the winning-point for this book; it doesn’t bore you with awful lot personal life details or overwhelm you with too much political and economic stuff. Rather it starts with a brief account of Marx’s life and impact of his ideas, and goes on to trace genesis of Mar
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This is rather a misleading guide to Marx. The author's opinion is not only heavily loaded against Marxist school of Economics but also misguide the reader on the truthfulness of several important assertion of Marx on the basic contradiction of Capitalism .
The Author claims that the rate of profit has not fallen , as was predicted by Marx, and wage rate in Advanced Capitalist countries has rather gone northwards. Only after the great recession has struck us do we find that the this assertion is ...more
The Author claims that the rate of profit has not fallen , as was predicted by Marx, and wage rate in Advanced Capitalist countries has rather gone northwards. Only after the great recession has struck us do we find that the this assertion is ...more
من باب آشنایی اجمالی با متفکری که به قول روژه گارودی هرکس خواه نا خواه باید تکلیف خودش را با او روشن کند، بسیار کتاب خوبی است، سینگر نشان میدهد که چرا مارکسِ دانشمند پیشگوی تاریخ و اقتصاد در مقام تجویز، چندان اعتباری برای امروز ندارد و در عین حال متفکری که بصیرت هایش در باب فهم ماهیت نظام سرمایهداری، درک عمیقش از مفهوم آزادی و از خود بیگانگی انسان امروز، در مقام متفکری انتقادی، تا چه میزان دوران سازو شگرف بوده است.
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This is a highly readable introduction to Marx written by a philosopher who generally writes highly readable philosophical tracts.
As others have noted Singer too easily dismisses Marx contribution to economic theory. Classical economists appalling lack of success as "scientists" have once again been aired out in our most recent "crisis of capitalism." On the other hand, critics of classical economics such as Steve Keen, whose economic models accurately predicted the financial crisis, acknowledg ...more
As others have noted Singer too easily dismisses Marx contribution to economic theory. Classical economists appalling lack of success as "scientists" have once again been aired out in our most recent "crisis of capitalism." On the other hand, critics of classical economics such as Steve Keen, whose economic models accurately predicted the financial crisis, acknowledg ...more
مقدمات قصيرة جدا سلسلة كتب متوسطة الحجم (مئة إلى مئتين صفحة) من اوكسفورد من تأليف متخصصين ولكنها موجهة نحو الجمهور العام - الكتب مبسطة والمفروض أي شخص يقدر يقراها بسهولة.
تتناول السلسلة موضوعات كثيرة جدا مثل التاريخ والفلسفة والاديان والشخصيات والمصطلحات السياسية وموضوعات أخرى كثيرة. حاليا هناك ثلاث مئة وتسعين كتابا في السلسلة ويتوقع اضافة ثلاثين كتاب اخر السنة القادمة.
طريقة الكتابة جميلة جدا تجعل القراءة ممتعة حتى النهاية. مثلا حينما قرأت الكتاب عن الفيلسوف الألماني المعروف ماركس تعرفت على ضروف ...more
تتناول السلسلة موضوعات كثيرة جدا مثل التاريخ والفلسفة والاديان والشخصيات والمصطلحات السياسية وموضوعات أخرى كثيرة. حاليا هناك ثلاث مئة وتسعين كتابا في السلسلة ويتوقع اضافة ثلاثين كتاب اخر السنة القادمة.
طريقة الكتابة جميلة جدا تجعل القراءة ممتعة حتى النهاية. مثلا حينما قرأت الكتاب عن الفيلسوف الألماني المعروف ماركس تعرفت على ضروف ...more
A great book. A lucid introduction to Marx. Easy to read and well structured.
Here are my reading notes.
# To Remember
- A lot of Marx's rhetoric comes from Hegel (a dialectic leading to historical progress)
- Marx was mostly wrong on his economic predictions
- He is to be treated as a philosopher more than an economist if we are to get value out of his thought
- For him, the really real was the economic powers that shape our societies
# Concepts
## Surplus Value
In classical economics, the capitalist hi ...more
Here are my reading notes.
# To Remember
- A lot of Marx's rhetoric comes from Hegel (a dialectic leading to historical progress)
- Marx was mostly wrong on his economic predictions
- He is to be treated as a philosopher more than an economist if we are to get value out of his thought
- For him, the really real was the economic powers that shape our societies
# Concepts
## Surplus Value
In classical economics, the capitalist hi ...more
Marx is a name that gets bandied around too much. People are vilified for being a marxist while others proudly proclaim their Marxism. For a long time I've had the feeling that the majority of people on either side of the political fence just toss the name around and know nothing of what Marxism is. I know that I read the Communist Manifesto in College - Far enough back that I remember little of it. When I saw this volume in the B&N bargain section I thought it would be a good opportunity to
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This was pretty good, except that Singer's treatment of Hegel seemed to me superficial and wrong-headed. Anyway, of the Very Short Introduction series that I've read so far, this is the one most like a satisfying work in its own right.
A good Bio, but not much else... i dout that who made this book ever understod any thing about marxism
Não se pode desprezar os diagnósticos e ainda menos os sentimentos incrustados no marxismo, essa porrada visionária que, embora cheia de mofo e naftalina, tem um que de fundamentalmente inescapável e inspirador; gostemos ou não, não importa. O pau está na mesa. Veja, desprezar o negócio seria uma bobeira porque primeiro, Marx está correto em algumas das suas críticas à sociedade capitalista e segundo, porque a sua indignação, o seu ódio e o seu apelo à justiça proletária a todo custo moveu céus
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แนวคิดของมารกซออกจะซับซอน และไมคอยเปนรูปธรรมเขาใจยากอยูแลว รวมกับสำนวนการแปลทีคอนขางทือ และใชศัพทยาก เชน สมาทาน, ทัศนวิภาษวิธี, ความจริงอันติมะ, ฯลฯ แตเขาใจวาเพือคงไวซึงเนือความตนฉบับ ถือวาอานยากมาก สำหรับมือใหมทางปรัชญาอยางเรา
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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 unfortu ...more
An interesting point to note: at the book's end, in addition to commenting on the unfortu ...more
A nice followup to Singer's VSI to Hegel, and it is very much a philosophical and Hegel-oriented treatment. It is also more than a "Marx Made Easy" approach -- Singer is not averse to sharing his opinions about Marx whilst he presents salient points of interest. He doesn't think much of Marx as a "scientist" and presents a compelling argument to that effect. Nor does he see communism as a realistic economic option. This is not a difficult argument to make, but I wouldn't call it disinterested re
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The author of this introduction focuses mainly on the philosophical side of karl marx and his important contribution to the idea of freedom and his enduring criticism of the capitalist society.what Marx gave us is a much richer idea of freedom than the superficial liberal view of it.This introduction will show the readers the beauty of many of Marx's writings.
But the author is wrong in dismissing Marx's contribution to economics too easily.In fact many of Marx's predictions have actually turned ...more
But the author is wrong in dismissing Marx's contribution to economics too easily.In fact many of Marx's predictions have actually turned ...more
I guess I was expecting an introduction to Marxism, this is definitely no such book. The author spends almost as much time on his own opinions of Marxism as he does on Marx's philosophy. The book is a short crappy biography of Karl Marx that touches on his ideas only long enough to dismiss them as out of date and irrelevant. I expect better from this series. This book will give neither the curious reader, the anti-Marxist or pro-Marxist anything to chew on. Don't waste your time.
This does what a good introduction should do -- provides a general framework, answers the important questions on the subject, and leaves the reader wanting more. I love the section on the connection between Marx and Hegel -- how Marx is using Hegel's ideas to develop his concept of the dialectical. Singer also spends enough time to establish who Marx was as a man, not just what he accomplished in terms of philosophical/historical insights.
After reading the umpteenth thing referencing Marx I thought enough is enough, I need to get some grounding in his writings. A search turned this up and I can say it does what it says on the tin. Singer offers a brief biography of Marx, offers an overview of his writings, then clearly summarizes each of his key ideas and wraps up with critical appraisal of Marx's worth today. I feel much better equipped to read stuff referencing Marx now. A great little book.
پیتر سینگر در این کتاب به زبانی بسیار ساده سیر زندگی کارل مارکس فقید، و مسیر پختگی افکارش را به خوبی نشان می دهد. او چگونه پس از مرگ پدرش به تکاپو افتاد ، چگونه با تاثیر از هگل افکار خود را شکل داد، زندگی انسان را در جامعه ای سرمایه داری شدیدا نقد کرد ، و کمونیسم خود را ارائه داد که در قرن 20ام به مشکلات عدیده ای برخورد.این کتاب ترجمه شده توسط محمد اسکندری و در انتشارات طرح نو چاپ شده و برای اشنایی ساده با زندگی و آموزه های مارکس بسیار مناسب است.
concise book that points out Marx's many mistakes but points out his main endevour: the freedom of man from ideology, the greatest of which in his day was and is capitalism.
he wished for us to control our culture rather than our culture control us.
he wished for us to control our culture rather than our culture control us.
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.
A very short, critical and wide survey of Marx's works and life. I enjoyed it, specially the assessment at the end of it. Though I guess many concepts deserve more explanation, but I think that might require a much more comprehensive medium.
Exactly what it says on the tin. A concise, well-written and approachable introduction to his philosophies. You get the general gist without having to understand global political history inside out, and does well to avoid the often tedious discussions of economics.
Good intro into his philosophy and quite funny in the bio, but pretty shite in everything else.
I (L) Peter Singz
When my parents asked me what I was reading and I told them I was reading a book about Marx my father said: "I read somewhere that they are celebrating soon the anniversary of his birth (probably the 200th birthday next year), that son of a bitch". In a way I think this pretty much sums up one of the two common opinions about Marx - a lot of people hate him as if he was Stalin's best friend and others venerate him like a secular prophet.
What this book shows is that none of those two attitudes se ...more
What this book shows is that none of those two attitudes se ...more
For a short introduction, this book has described the main points of Marxism properly but it's evaluations, especially regarding the economic teachings of Marxism, are outdated and some are obviously wrong which are due to the short-sidedness of the last decades of 20th century.
For example, it can now be clearly observed that the capitalist system can't sustain high rates of profit (as we are in zero or negative interest rates era), and that the wealth gap hasn't been reduced due to rise in real ...more
For example, it can now be clearly observed that the capitalist system can't sustain high rates of profit (as we are in zero or negative interest rates era), and that the wealth gap hasn't been reduced due to rise in real ...more
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Peter Albert David Singer is an Australian philosopher. He is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, and laureate professor at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE), University of Melbourne. He specializes in applied ethics, approaching ethical issues from a secular preference utilitarian perspective.
He has served, on two occasions, as chair of phil ...more
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“Egoism... is not eliminated by economic reorganization or by material abundance. When basic needs are satisfied, new 'needs' emerge. In our society, people want no simply clothes, but fashionable clothes; not shelter, but a house to display their wealth and taste.”
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“Marx saw that capitalism is a wasteful, irrational system, a system which controls us when we should be controlling it. That insight is still valid; but we can now see that the construction of a free and equal society is a more difficult task than Marx realized.”
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