Synopses & Reviews
Written in 1970 by a prominent Marxist philosopher and student of Georg Lukács, this book argues that alienation is the central idea in all of Karl Marx's work. To distinguish Marx's original concept from its use by other writers over the years, the topic is approached in three different ways. First, the origin of the idea of alienation is discussed along with an analysis of the way Marx structured it into a theory. Then alienation is explored beyond its political aspect, as it has been used in economics, ontology, moral philosophy, and aesthetics. The contemporary usefulness of the term is covered in the last section of the book, which concludes that current debates about the individual in society and the role of education can be fruitfully discussed in terms of alienation.
Review
“A basic unity between the young Marx and the old . . . brilliantly propounded” —Political Quarterly
Review
"Immensely learned." —
Times Literary SupplementSynopsis
5th Edition with new preface. This book focuses on the origins of Marx's thought and on his early writings especially The Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844. It was a winner of the Isaac Deutscher Memorial Prize. 'In the hands of a creative thinker conviction and passion can give wings to the freedom struggle. Meszaros' book is a 'winger' - one of the most far-reaching books of on the subject of Marx's theory of alienation since Lukacs' seminal Geschichte und Klassenbewusstsein." [History and Class Consciousness] The Review of Metaphysics. 'Immensely learned and well-read" Times Literary Supplement
About the Author
István Mészáros was a professor of philosophy at Sussex University. He is the author of
Beyond Capital.