HUMAN DIGNITY: SOCIAL AUTONOMY AND THE CRITIQUE OF CAPITALISM; ED. BY WERNER BONEFELD

Against the background of growing uncertainty about the future development of capitalism and in the face of war, terror and poverty this book asks: what do we have to know to prevent misery? What can can we do to achieve conditions of human diginity? And what must we hope for? Against the background of growing uncertainty about the future development of capitalism, and in the face of war, terror and poverty, this book asks: What do we have to know to prevent misery? What can we do to achieve conditions of human dignity? And what must we hope for? The volume argues that all social life is essentially practical and explores the central most important value of human dignity. It discusses practical consequences in relation to the theory of revolution and contemporary anti-globalization struggles. Targeted towards advanced undergraduate courses and taught post-graduate courses in the field of politics, sociology, political philosophy and new social movement studies, it should also be welcomed in the study of critical theory, Marxism, labour studies and revolutionary thought. Bonefeld (U. of York, UK) and Psychopedis (U. of Athens, Greece) present nine papers examining theoretical questions of Marxism, revolution, and the realization of social autonomy of the oppressed. The first three papers consider and build upon Marxist concepts of social reality and the justifications for revolution proposed by Kant, Hegel, Marx, Benjamin, and Arendt. Conceptions of revolutionary transformation are discussed in relation to Marx's thoughts about the collective power of labor, Rosa Luxemburg's writings on the subjectivity of the working class, and Walter Benjamin's conceptions of time and human emancipation. The collection concludes with a pair of chapters on proper and improper ways of struggling against capitalism. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Set against the background of growing uncertainty about the future development of capitalism, this book focuses on the contemporary meaning of the struggle for socialism and discusses the value of human dignity as both the means and end of anti-capitalist struggles