"Millionaires and Paupers:" Marx and Engels' Critique Of Capitalism
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Since the beginning of civilization, human beings have had a troubled relationship with money and property. The Greeks looked down on trade, and Christianity condemned lending at interest. In the 18th century, Rousseau wrote: "The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say, 'This is mine,' and found people simple enough to believe him, was the true founder of civil society." And even in our day, movements like Occupy Wall Street show that there is still discontent with our capitalist economic system and wealth inequality.
Probably the single most influential critic of the industrial capitalist economy was the German philosopher Karl Marx. He and Friedrich Engels lived through the tumultous 1840's in which the industrial economy was just coming online, and they were horrified by what they saw. While liberals saw in capitalism the progress of civilization, Marx saw greed, alienation, and cruelty.
And while the Communist economic policies inspired by him never succeeded, his devastating critique and insight into the capitalist system is just as relevant today as it ever was.
Join the Syracuse Philosophy Meetup as we discuss the stinging critiques of capitalism developed by Marx and Engels. Some of our main questions will include:
- Is capitalism ethical if it is based on greed and self-interest?
- Is capitalism rational, chaotic, or both?
- Does the division of labor and specialization reduce your ability to live a fulfilling life?
- Does the capitalist system alienate people from their work and from other people?
For reading: I will share a link to lecture notes from a "Great Courses" series that is a good summary:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AAiDWB5DOOQFdnkNVG0CmrJZq8R9ZgcC/view?usp=drive_link
Happy Thinking!
Hersh