Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 (Dover Books on Western Philosophy)

Written in 1844 as a series of notes, Marx's posthumously published critiques on the conditions of modern industrialist societies forms the foundation of the author's denunciation of capitalism. Combining elements of psychology, sociology, and anthropology, it is a profound examination of the human condition rooted in a philosophy of economics. In this concise treatise, Marx presents an indictment of capitalism and its threat to the working man, his sense of self, and his ultimate potential. With a focus on "Marxist Humanism," he describes the alienation of laborers in a capitalist system: since the results of their work belong to someone else, they are estranged from their own labor and can never function as freely productive beings. Through a powerful mixture of history and economics, Marx explores the degenerative effect of capitalism on the proletariat and his true human nature. Regarded as one of his most important books, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 is a first glimpse at Marx's fascinating transition from philosophy to economics. Accessible and influential, it is an important predecessor to the Communist Manifesto and essential to an understanding of Marxist theory. Reprint of the Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1961 edition. Title Page Copyright Page Introduction Translator's Note on Terminology Preface Wages of Labour Profit of Capital Rent of Land [Estranged Labour] [Antithesis of Capital an Labour. Landed Property and Capital] [Private Property and Labour. Views of the Mercantile System and Physiocracy, Adam Smith, Ricardo and His School] [Private Property and Communism. Various Stages of Development of Communist Views. Crude, Egalitarian Communism and Communism as Socialism Coinciding with Humaneness] [The Meaning of Human Requirements Where There Is Private Property and under Socialism. The Difference Between Extravagant Wealth and Industrial Wealth. Division of Labour in Bourgeois Society] [The Power of Money in Bourgeois Society] [Critique of the Hegelian Dialectic and Philosophy as a Whole] Appendix - Outlines of a Critique of Political Economy " ... Marx explains how, under capitalism, people rely on labor to live. In the past people could rely on nature itself for their natural needs; in modern society, if one wants to eat, one must work: it is only through money that one may survive. Thus [a person] becomes a slave to his wages. It is only through his work that he can find enough money to continue to live; but he doesn't simply live, he actually only survives, as a worker. Labor is only used to create more wealth, instead of achieving the fulfillment of human nature." This predecessor to the Communist Manifesto offers a historical analysis of the human condition. It forms the foundation of the author's denunciation of capitalism, combining elements of psychology, sociology, and anthropology in a philosophy of economics. Accessible and influential, this concise treatise is essential to an understanding of Marxist theory.