Wolff argues that we can detach Marx the critic of current society from
Marx the prophet of future society; he remains the most impressive critic we
have of liberal, capitalist, bourgeois society. He shows that the value of such
does not depend on their views being true, but on features such as their
originality, insight and systematic vision.'All too often, Karl Marx has been regarded as a demon or a deity - or a
busted flush. This fresh, provocative, and hugely enjoyable book explains why,
for all his shortcomings, his critique of modern society remains forcefully
relevant even in the twenty-first century.' Francis Wheen, author of Karl Marx
In recent years we could be forgiven for assuming that Marx has nothing left to
say to us. Marxist regimes have failed miserably, and with them, it seemed, all
reason to take Marx seriously. The fall of the Berlin Wall had enormous
symbolic resonance: it was taken to be the fall of Marx as well as of Marxist
politics and economics. This timely book argues that we can detach Marx the
critic of current society from Marx the prophet of future society, and that he
remains the most impressive critic we have of liberal, capitalist, bourgeois
society. It also shows that the value of the 'great thinkers' does not depend
on their views being true, but on other features such as their originality,
insight, and systematic vision. On this account too Marx still richly deserves
to be read.
