Must-read Marx

On the birth anniversary of Karl Marx, the groundbreaking philosopher, socialist and journalist ,here’s a look at three of his defining works

A bust of Karl Marx at the garden of the Karl Marx House museum in Trier, Germany.

Karl Marx, the groundbreaking philosopher, socialist and journalist whose works have defined contemporary economic and political thought, was born on May 5, 1818. He is revered, and equally reviled, often with very little understanding of his thought.  On his birth anniversary, here’s a look at three of his defining works:

 

The German Ideology

 

Though written as early as in 1846, Marx and Engels did not find a publisher for the book. It was later retrieved by Russian philosopher, David Riaznov who had it published in 1932. The book is a collection of manuscripts that explains the ways by which humans distinguish themselves from animals. They believe that humans cease to be animals when they start producing their means of sustenance. Thus, the identity of individuals corresponds to what and how much they produce. This, in turn, forms a basic link between division of labour and forms of ownership. Marx also suggests a theoretical framework of the base and superstructure which correspond to economic and material changes and the affecting socio-political factors, respectively. The book’s relevance on account of this theory, called historical materialism, extends beyond economics, to political science, literary theory and criticism.

 

Theses on Feuerbach

 

The ‘book’ consists of 11 short philosophical notes that were written as an introduction to chapter 1 of The German Ideology. It is major critique of the notion that the “essence of man” must be viewed in isolation and abstraction. Marx believed that man was a social animal who can only be understood in confluence with the larger constructs governing his life. The construct, so mentioned, consists of religious beliefs that must be eliminated because religion legitimises exploitation.

 

It served as a basis of political action and contains the famous conclusion that is basis of all Marxist philosophy: "Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.”

 

Capital

Popularly known as Das Kapital, the book is an economic commentary on capitalism. It assumes the point of view of production to criticise the underlying notions that reinforce wealth concentration in the hands of a few. The book is composed of three volumes, with the first examining creation of capital while the second deals with the process of circulation of capital. The third and the most important volume examines the process of capital production as a whole, with emphasis provided to surplus revenue and accompanying theories of profit. The work is regarded as the biggest critique of classical economics as put forth by Adam Smith and Benjamin Franklin.