Marx, Marxism and Utopia (Routledge Revivals) - Hardcover

Webb, Darren

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1138720003 ISBN 13: 9781138720008

Publisher: Routledge, 2019

Synopsis

This title was first published in 2000:  This engaging book suggests that Marx was right to reject 'utopian socialism' on the grounds that it undermined the principles of proletarian self-emancipation and self-determination. As a theoretician of the proletarian class, Marx sought to capture the spirit of revolution in a manner which precluded the need for utopian philanthropy and the messianic elitism which invariably accompanied it. In a powerful and original central argument, the book suggests that the categories which together define Marx’s own 'utopia' were nothing more than theoretical by-products of the models employed by Marx in order to supersede the need for utopianism. As such, Marx was an 'accidental' utopian. Rather than legitimating utopianism, however, the author argues that this conclusion reinforces the need to develop Marx’s anti-utopian project further. Emphasising the contemporary relevance of Marx’s original critique, the conclusion suggests that the future of socialism lies in its ability to harness, not the spirit of utopia, but the spirit of adventure.

About this title

About the Author

Darren Webb

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1138720003
• ISBN 13: 9781138720008
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 186