Formative Early Writings by Karl Marx: Theses on Feuerbach, The German Ideology, The 18th Brumaire of Louis-Napoleon and Others
Written by Karl Marx
Narrated by Derek Le Page
()
About this audiobook
These six very different texts show how Marx's ideas evolved and how increasingly fierce his views became. In A Criticism of Hegel's Philosophy of Right (1843) (only the introduction was completed), Marx proposes that the working class has a key part to play in the redemption of humanity. This short work contains one of his most famous epigrams, his criticism of religion as 'the opium of the people'.
His growing concerns for the material and economic conditions under which the mass of the population live were revealed in On the Jewish Question (1843), in which he declares that it is not religion that alienates people but their living conditions.
Marx had been influenced by early views on materialism by - among others - Ludwig Feuerbach, but in the 11 short comments contained in Theses on Feuerbach (written in 1843 but not published until 1888 by Engels), Marx made it clear that it was necessary to go past theory and invest in practical activity. As he declares in the last comment, ‘Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.'
The German Ideology (1846) was another polemic against philosophers in which Marx - and Engels - could also propose their view on world history: ‘Morality, religion, metaphysics, all the rest of ideology and their corresponding forms of consciousness, thus no longer retain the semblance of independence. They have no history, no development; but men, developing their material production and their material intercourse, alter, along with this their real existence, their thinking and the products of their thinking. Life is not determined by consciousness, but consciousness by life.'
The 18th Brumaire of Louis Napoleon (1852) shows another side of Marx the writer: the historian. But in relating the French coup of 1851, when Louis-Napoleon became dictator, Marx wrote from his platform of increasingly strong views on class struggle and the capitalist state.
The Critique of Political Economy (1859) effectively previews Capital - but of particular interest here is the preface, in which he gives an account of the development of his philosophical, political and economic views and his materialist approach to history.
Karl Marx
Described as one of the most influential figures in human history, Karl Marx was a German philosopher and economist who wrote extensively on the benefits of socialism and the flaws of free-market capitalism. His most notable works, Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto (the latter of which was co-authored by his collaborator Friedrich Engels), have since become two of history’s most important political and economic works. Marxism—the term that has come to define the philosophical school of thought encompassing Marx’s ideas about society, politics and economics—was the foundation for the socialist movements of the twentieth century, including Leninism, Stalinism, Trotskyism, and Maoism. Despite the negative reputation associated with some of these movements and with Communism in general, Marx’s view of a classless socialist society was a utopian one which did not include the possibility of dictatorship. Greatly influenced by the philosopher G. W. F. Hegel, Marx wrote in radical newspapers from his young adulthood, and can also be credited with founding the philosophy of dialectical materialism. Marx died in London in 1883 at the age of 64.
Related to Formative Early Writings by Karl Marx
Related audiobooks
The Vocation of the Scholar Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Practice & Theory Of Bolshevism Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Theodor Adorno: A Very Short Introduction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Capital: Volume 1: A Critique of Political Economy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRevolution & Counter Revolution Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTwilight of the Idols, On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense: How to Philosophise with a Hammer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKarl Marx An Essay Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSocialism: Utopian, Scientific Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Radical Sacrifice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Open Society and Its Enemies: New One-Volume Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Communism / Socialism: Social Democracy Wage Labor & Capital State & Revolution Communist Manifesto Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWage Labor And Capital Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecond Treatise of Government Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Republic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHegel in Fragments Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fields, Factories, and Workshops: Industry Combined with Agriculture and Brain Work with Manual Work Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImperialism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Poverty of Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Politics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leviathan: Or, the Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Natural Right and History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhilosophy and Real Politics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The life and teaching of Karl Marx - Max Beer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Capital: Volume 2: A Critique of Political Economy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Principles of Political Economy, and Taxation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Macat Analysis of Immanuel Kant's Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Berkeley’s Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Public and Its Problems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Philosophy For You
Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mastering Logical Fallacies: The Definitive Guide to Flawless Rhetoric and Bulletproof Logic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Five Rings Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Holographic Universe: The Revolutionary Theory of Reality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary: The Laws of Human Nature: by Robert Greene: Key Takeaways, Summary & Analysis Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/512 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson - Book Summary: An Antidote to Chaos Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tao of Pooh Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dao De Jing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Communicating Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Life Is a 4-Letter Word: Laughing and Learning Through 40 Life Lessons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Savage Messiah: How Dr. Jordan Peterson Is Saving Western Civilization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The More of Less Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Be Happy: Discover the Power of Positive Psychology and Choose Happiness Every Day Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Self-Reliance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Doors of Perception Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Formative Early Writings by Karl Marx
0 ratings0 reviews