Karl Marx's realist critique of capitalism: freedom, alienation, and socialism

In: Marx, Engels, and Marxisms

Abstract

This book offers the first realist reconstruction of Marxs critique of capitalism. Reading Marx through a realist lens enables us to make sense of the connections between (1) Marxs positive concept of freedom, rooted in a theory of human development, (2) his understanding of alienation as diagnosing capitalist unfreedom, and (3) his conceptions of democracy and socialism, respectively, as the cures for this unfreedom. Along the way, it discusses and responds to some of Marxs most insightful critics, such as Max Weber and Friedrich Hayek. This clarifies Marxs ideas for a new generation of political thinkers; explains the challenge they pose to contemporary debates about freedom, democracy, and future economic institutions; and demonstrates that these ideas remain both defensible and compelling. Paul Raekstad is an Assistant Professor of Political Theory at the University of Amsterdam working on radical political theory, in particular Marxism, anarchism, prefigurative politics, and direct action. They co-authored Prefigurative Politics: Building Tomorrow Today (2020).