I've taken the rash decision to tackle Marx by ploughing through volume 1 of Capital. Over the years I've picked up the gist of it but always avoided reading the thing properly because I'm sure I won't be impressed. That's just personal bias but I may as well read it and add some substance to my bias.
The story so far? So far it's a typically Victorian pile of pontification and I'm not convinced I'll ever finish it but I'll give it a go. Stamina - that's what is needed for these tasks. Maybe some more coffee too...
...but strewth - how did anyone ever take it seriously?
4 comments:
Marx and Freud - widely quoted charlatans of the first order.
Is that the one where Groucho sits on Harpo's trilby hat, with hilarious consequences?
Good grief! I wish you all the best with it.
I studied Marx along with other social and political philosophers when I was a student in the 1970s. Luckily, I read shorter works such as The German Ideology and the Introduction to A Contribution to a Critique of Political Economy, as they were on the reading lists. I realised early on that there is a huge epistemological problem with Marx's project, and my essay on that was the best I ever wrote, and was passed around the Department by my professor for the admiration and sneers of his colleagues.
Having dismissed the fraudulent old bore, I could then move on. That's an advantage of having a structured course under supervision. I'd rather wear a hair shirt than read any of his economics.
Jannie - they were charlatans but amazingly Marx still has followers. Freud too I imagine but nothing like Marx.
Scrobs - no Groucho was the clever one, Karl never made the team because he didn't understand the jokes.
Sam - interesting - if you still have your essay you could post it online. Email it to me as a blog post if you wish, but not many will see it. At the moment I'm not finding it too heavy going. There is an extremely mild entertainment value in that he was so transparently dishonest.
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