For the politics book club, we (with some minor election fraud from me) voted on reading, I was prepared for Marxism for a general audience, but it was actually rather more dense and "philosophical" than I was expecting. . Like many public figures who leave a legacy, either in their writings or their deeds, Karl Marx was sometimes right and sometimes wrong. DOI: 10.5860/choice.49-0938 Corpus ID: 142770416. April 12th 2011 Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. It is my firm belief that every conviction should be challenged and the other side of the debate heard, and afterwards, if your convictions are unshaken, or - better yet - shaken but then erected on a more solid foundation, you can go back to being smug. A refutation of the various criticisms of Marx's work. Widely regarded as England's most influential living literary critic & theorist, Dr Eagleton currently serves as Distinguished Prof. of English Literature at the Univ. Eagleton deftly rescues Marx from the dustbin to which right-wingers, postmodernists, silly liberals and capitalist triumphalists have consigned him. The author shows his knowledge on Marxism and he answers a number of frequently asked questions concerning Marxism in the 21st century societies, he gives out understandable, reasonable explanation as much as he can. The only communism we know is the one which was represented in the history; there is no some kind of "misunderstood, not-yet-happened communism". Why Marx was Right refutes ten criticisms levelled at Marx and Marxism over the years by drawing on material from Marx and Engel’s original writings and by looking at how Marxism has evolved over the last century and a half.. Just some of the ten criticisms of Marx Eagleton refutes – in ten chapters -include .. Marxism is no longer relevant in a changed, classes society Polemically charged and enjoyable. You cannot keep on shifting income from labor to capital without having an excess capacity and a … Thing is, Eagleton tries to have it both ways when he says that the great thing about Marxism, more than any other theoretical system, has been its practical impact on the world and its influence on historical movements, but then goes on to completely disavow the most obvious, prominent case of this; Eagleton claims that what happened in Russia last century actually had nothing to do with Marxism, Stalin wasn't really a Marxist, etc. In a world in which capitalism has been shaken to its roots by some major crises. Widely regarded as England's most influential living literary critic & theorist, Dr Eagleton currently serves as Distinguished Prof. of English Literature at the Univ. . Nearly finished with it. of Ireland, Galway. He doesn't lecture, he invites the reader to see what he sees. It peels away the legends about what Marx allegedly said, to look at what Marx actually said, and compares them to other philosophies and practices, to see what Marx might have made of today's world and where he might have said it is heading. He returned to The Univ. Written with Eagleton's familiar wit, humour and clarity, it will attract an audience far beyond the confines of academia. Our shopping cart only supports Mozilla Firefox. Seasoned Marxists will find most of the arguments presented here familiar but argued with verve. To that I would say that a person like Jeri who thinks Bush der Zweite was a g. Nearly finished with it. French Bondholders and the Repudiation of Russian Sovereign Debt, Kim Oosterlinck; Translated by Anthony Bulger, Rogues, Swindlers, Frauds, and the Rise of Modern Finance, Inside the U.S. Strategy for Fighting the 2007-2009 Global Financial Crisis. "—Dennis O'Brien, Christian Century"[Eagleton is] a witty, insightful thinker with a penchant for glib asides and wry dashes of humor. Never imagined I'd write that about a text on Marxism, but Eagleton writes with an urbane erudition not to be missed. Marxism, finally, is provisional. However, as the book is structured as a series of criticisms of Marxism that he refutes one by one, I found he didn't make a particularly strong case for the initial criticisms. I have no notion why the publisher's sought to sell this perfectly reasonable book as "controversial". Happy Women's History Month! marx-was-right-obviously-1Download As dialectical materialists we are barred from hypothesizing about “what” the future will look like. With most philosophers the backdrop of world events is something of an irrelevance to their theorising, but Marx proved to be a special case. Eagleton offers a richer, more complex and nuanced picture of the father of modern socialism. . As its title suggests, the book sets out to tell us not only what Marx would think, but also why he should be believed. Edited by William N. Goetzmann, Catherine Labio, K. In-depth conversations with experts on topics that matter. Buy Why Marx Was Right 2 by Eagleton, Terry (ISBN: 9780300231069) from Amazon's Book Store. In this combative, controversial book, Terry Eagleton takes issue with the prejudice that Marxism is dead and done with. In the process, you get a good tour of what the man actually wrote, and why, for as long as capitalism exists, whether it is finally superseded by “socialism or barbarism,” Marx’s critique will be one of the best tools we have not for predicting the future, but for understanding the present. "Reading a book by Terry Eagleton is like watching fireworks. . More later. Some wonderful, amusing lines and quips as well as thought-provoking observations particularly about the victims of capitalism and the capitalist system. The only reason why I gave 2 stars for this book is for by reading it I have learned how my enemies think. funny, insightful, surprisingly readable. a book for normies and IntellectualsTM alike! And he doesn't place Marx above reproach; Eagleton is perfectly willing to disagree with him. Instead, Eagleton simply talks you through how Marx himself is grossly misunderstood and misconstrued in most popular criticisms. . Hayek.) Eagleton deftly rescues Marx from the dustbin to which right-wingers, postmodernists, silly liberals and capitalist triumphalists have consigned him. Why Marx Was Right is a welcome return to the core of Marxist thought, executed with wit and panache. The phrase "socialism or barbarism," is shown to be, despite the mind blowing technological advances capitalism has facilitated(for, he points out, effectively a small percentage of the world's population) the course of the present day world. Once the darling of the intelligentsia, Marxism has been out of fashion for at least a couple of decades. Now I know that a person like Jeri would say that Chesterton did not know much about economics. To see what your friends thought of this book, I'm not sure one can reasonably say the proletariat never had a revolution, but with regards to them "no longer existing" a portion of the book is foc. Eagleton has a wonderfully impish wit. This would have allowed for me to put his rebuttals better into context more, shall we say, critically. This would have allowed for me to put his rebuttals, I was prepared for Marxism for a general audience, but it was actually rather more dense and "philosophical" than I was expecting. Great writing, and surprisingly, not at all dogmatic or shrill. This question is utterly meaningless, as it so happens that history played out exactly how it has, and, while it may be fun and interesting to ponder other possibilities, this is at the final analysis mere idle speculation. That can also happen. Even if it could have happen differently, the true definition of communism is that it is the ideology of weaklings (Weaklings of the world, unite! Why Marx Was Right | Eagleton, Terry;Marx, Karl | download | Z-Library. Where the large numbers of explanatory tracts defending Marx and his intellectual tradition piled up in the 1890s or 1970s now go largely unread, his recent publication Why Marx Was Right is designed for a wide audience and deserves one. )(Revenge of the nerds!). (It is a good thing I'm not writing this book - I would run out of words!). (In fact, I've been noticing about Eagleton that he has a writing style rather similar to that of C.S. Taking ten of the most common objections to Marxism—that it leads to political tyranny, that it reduces everything to the economic, that it is a form of historical determinism, and so on—he demonstrates in each case what a woeful travesty of Marx's own thought these assumptions are. The most refreshing and legitimately optimistic book I’ve probably ever read. Guided by Marxism and dependency theory, this article will provide evidence on the existence of the specter of Third World poverty and income inequality, and hence prove that Karl Marx was right in calling for the transformation of the global economic system. And frees him from the cultish or clannish behavior of some Marxists as well. It is a measured account of a very good thinker. Why Marx Was Right (2011) The Event of Literature (2012) Across the Pond: An Englishman's View of America (2013) How to Read Literature (2013) Culture and the Death of God (2014) Hope without Optimism (2015) Culture (2016) Materialism (2017) Radical Sacrifice (2018) Humour (2019) References absolutely required reading. Not only does he effectively dismantle many popular misconceptions about Marxism, he does so with dry but ultimately sympathetic wit. Throughout, the author is witty, entertaining, and incisive."—. erry Eagleton ends Why Marx Was Right with this rhetorical question: “Was ever a thinker so traves-tied?” This is a fitting end to a book which is a lament for the wicked ways of a world that has done so much damage to the thought and legacy of Karl Marx, piling … The highest praise I know how to confer on a book is one I will confer on this: I know I will want to read it again. Start by marking “Why Marx Was Right” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Quite delightful. Unlike Hume or Kant, he is a thinker over whom not only has much ink been spilled, but in whose name much blood has been spilled also. . It does contain some of Eagleton's (chiefly) decent jokes, which I always enjoyed as a student when reading his famous, and useful, companion to literary criticism. Another flabby book with shallow and unconvincing arguments that attempts to show communism in better light. An excellent primer for reconsidering Marx in light of the 21st century. His new book. 3: The Perspective of the World, The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation, Property And Progress: The Historical Origins And Social Foundations Of Self Sustaining Growth, Liberty and Property: A Social History of Western Political Thought from the Renaissance to Enlightenment, Marxistisch-Leninistische Staats- und Rechtstheorie, which apparently had libraries filled with endless copies of a single book, say that capitalists create their own demand, Power, Sister! of Manchester 'ti. He’s a witty, insightful thinker with a penchant for glib asides and wry dashes of humor. . Karl Marx had it right. "—Dennis O'Brien. The author shows his knowledge on Marxism and he answers a number of frequently asked questions concerning Marxism in the 21st century societies, he gives out understandable, reasonable explanation as much as he can. of Ireland, Galway. . He has written about 50 books including Shakespeare and Society, Criticism and Ideology, The Ideology of the Aesthetic, Literary Theory, The Illusions of Postmodernism, Why Marx Was Right, The Event of Literature, and Across the Pond: An Englishman's View of America. Please ensure you're using that browser before attempting to purchase. Subscribe to hear when New Releases or Catalogs are ready. However, despite the author's reader-friendly and humorous tone, Marxism is complicated, it's still difficult to understand (you have to have basic knowledge about the topics to understand this book) and sometime the author sounds a bit too smug and sure of himself (I'm not bothered by his tone, but I'm sure some readers would), I have to wonder how many non-Marxists/non-socialists are going to agree Marx was right after they finish this book. "—, "A lively defense. There is nothing in Marx’s writing that leads one to think of state terror and closed societies, quite the contrary. . Of course Juncker is right that Marx—who died 34 years before the Russian Revolution—was not responsible for the Gulag, and yet his ideas clearly were. )(Revenge of the nerds!). But even Marx got things right once in a while. Was Marx Right? WHY MARX WAS RIGHT is well argued and clearly written. Entertaining. Eagleton, who has also written recent essays on evil and atheism, is not very successful on either score. In a world in which capitalism has been shaken to its roots by some major crises, "Why Marx Was Right" is as urgent and timely as it is brave and candid. There are also times where he will accept a critique of Marxism as valid without mounting a defense against it - at the end of the third chapter, he ponders that socialism could have been achieved had history happened differently, as if this is a valid critique of Marx's so called "economic determinism." Entertaining. I will always be against that. He has written about 50 books including Shakespeare and Society, Criticism and Ideology, The Ideology of the Aesthetic, Literary Theory, The Illusions of Postmodernism, Why Marx Was Right, The Event of Literature, and Across the Pond: An Englishman's View of America. Why Marx Was Right. This wasn't necessarily a drawback of course. "—Michael Patrick Brady, PopMatters In this combative, controversial book, Terry Eagleton takes issue with the prejudice that Marxism is dead and done with. Another flabby book with shallow and unconvincing arguments that attempts to show communism in better light. . "Eagleton is a compelling writer and raconteur. No angry revolutionary rhetoric but a great deal of wisdom and savvy that convinces the reader of several very important truths. Terry Eagleton received a Ph.D from Cambridge University. This guy, Eagleton, is useless and ridiculous, as are all other "intellectual elites" of today. And he does it in such a chummy, cant-free style, while thoroughly answering one attack after another, that it’s like the lamplight from a cottage window on a foggy night. As workers were paid less and less, capitalism would be prone to chronic, perpetual crises of overproduction —... Stagnation. And he does it in such a chummy, cant-free style, while thoroughly answering one attack after another, that it’s like the lamplight from a cottage window on a foggy night. We’d love your help. Hello Select your address All Hello, Sign in. This wasn't necessarily a drawback of course. The most refreshing and legitimately optimistic book I’ve probably ever read. One of the foremost Marxist critics of his generation forcefully argues against Marx's irrelevancy"Reading a book by Terry Eagleton is like watching fireworks. Now I know that a person like Jeri would say that Chesterton did not know much about economics. Find books It is my firm belief that every conviction should be challenged and the other side of the debate heard, and afterwards, if your convictions are unshaken, or - better yet - shaken but then erected on a more solid foundation, you can go back to being smug. In this book review, the author argues that Terry Eagleton's Why Marx Was Right addresses pertinent questions in relation to the Marxist concept of social class and oppression. tract begins with a series of assertions about Marx and Marxism, which Eagleton then proceeds to debunk . It’s probably the only book that makes references to Tiger Woods and Mel Gibson along with Charles Fourier and Michel Foucault. But then again, probably not so many of you would want to. In doing so, he shows that Marxism ought to be conceived as a method, Terry Eagleton received a Ph.D from Cambridge University. To that I would say that a person like Jeri who thinks Bush der Zweite was a great president does not know much of anything. Terry Eagleton discusses his combative, controversial book Why Marx was Right. Chesterton did. While this will always be contentious, he makes a strong case for the fallacy of blaming Marx’s thou. And he wasn’t just right about what ended up happening in the late 20th century – he was right about why it happened: The relentless search for new markets and … Skip to main content.sg. In a world in which capitalism has been shaken to its roots by some major crises, Why Marx Was Right is as urgent and timely as it is brave and candid. "Professor Eagleton covers the spectrum of critiques of Marxian ideas like only an actual critic of Marx could. At some point, capitalism can destroy itself. Download books for free. Why Marx Was Right @inproceedings{Eagleton2011WhyMW, title={Why Marx Was Right}, author={T. Eagleton}, year={2011} } Why Marx Was Right is an argument on two fronts, one being that Karl Marx never advocated for much of what was attributed to him, and the other that what Karl Marx actually proposed is very appropriate for our age. Chesterton did. Just ask all these blogposts on the merits of atheism that I never published. Specifically, this means that I cannot accept the Marxist attempt to build a heaven on earth, but that does not prevent me from accepting the Marxian critique of capitalism. . This is a fabulous book. Some rare okay insights in the book are obvious things, and in the end they are regularly misrepresented. Immiseration. It’s probably the only book that makes references to Tiger Woods and Mel Gibson along with Charles Fourier and Michel Foucault. He is a literary critic and a writer. Because clearly our current situation is about an elite powerful group intent on hollowing out the middle class, creating a massive easily manipulated underclass. If he addresses some of this maybe I can read it. It has long been my policy that every once in a while, I confront myself with a book that I am almost certain I will disagree with. However, provided we meet the following threshold - a concrete understanding of the inner workings of the capitalist mode of production - we are not debarred from hypothesizing about “how” the future can work. . To demonstrate this, I take in this book ten of the most standard criticisms of Marx, in no particular order of importance, and try to refute them one by one.". In this combative, controversial book, Terry Eagleton takes issue with the prejudice that Marxism is dead and done with. Not only does he effectively dismantle many popular misconceptions about Marxism, he does so with dry but ultimately sympathetic wit. "Why Marx was Right" by Terry Eagleton is an amusing and insightful look at Marxist theory and practice. He was Thomas Warton Prof. of English Literature at the Univ. through excursions into philosophy, political practice and literary analogy. That can also happen. The economic theories of Karl Marx, born 200 years ago, became unchallengeable doctrine in many countries for much of the 20th century. 'In Why Marx Was Right, the British literary critic Terry Eagleton encourages [a] shift from Marx the satanic revolutionary to Marx the digital sage. Written with Eagleton's familiar wit, humor, and clarity, it will attract an audience far beyond the confines of academia. He shows convincingly that socialism is about freeing man from "labour" so that he may effectively become a more fully realized human being, instead of labouring to make someone else wealthy. . This book is very illuminating both for those on the Left, but especially for those who are not. (I shouldn't have expected different, considering Marx is, you know, a philosopher and all.) But the silly, starry eyed naivete of Eagleton has had me pining for Chamber of Commerce lunches and free trade seminars. The list of Marxism's shortcomings is common coinage, and Eagleton offers convincing counterarguments. You didn't get an impassioned, furious defense of Marxism against our capitalist overlords. This book is structured as a point by point refutation to some of the major criticisms of Karl Marx, such as apparent disappearance of "labor class" in Post-Industrial Technocrat society, supposed animus between Socialists and the State, Marx's views on revolution and violence, Marx's deterministic view of history and social change etc.
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