KARL MARX AND THE FUTURE OF THE HUMAN by Cyril Smith.
This is a report on work done since I wrote MARX AT THE MILLENNIUM.
(Pluto, 1996.) In that book, after decades as an 'orthodox'
Marxist-Leninist, I tried - with great difficulty - to re-examine the
basic assumptions of that body of doctrine and to contrast them with the
actual ideas of Karl Marx.
On the one hand, Marx's humanism had been totally buried by our orthodoxy,
and had to be disinterred. On the other, the pseudo-scientific notions of
historical and dialectical materialism had to be replaced by Marx's
critical-revolutionary thought.
I have since attempted to show more clearly that these two sides are, in
fact, inseparable. For this, it is necessary to probe more deeply into
Marx's critique of Hegel's dialectic and to place both of them more
carefully into the history of philosophy as a whole. These are two aspects
of the new book.
It is often said that the future of humanity is threatened, usually
referring to the degradation of our natural environment. But, even more
deadly a menace is the constriction of the possibility of human relations
which are actually worthy of the name 'human'. This, I believe, is what
Marx was concerned with, and the rediscovery of his ideas is essential for
social and political action in the twenty-first century.
The book is now available on my home page: www.cix.co.uk/~cyrilsmith
Any comments sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] will be very welcome.
CONTENTS
Preface
Part 1 Marx's Concept of the Human
CHAPTER ONE 'The Prospects for Socialism'.
CHAPTER TWO Marx Versus Historical Materialism.
CHAPTER THREE The Communist Manifesto after 150 Years.
Part 2 Marx's Critique of Political Philosophy
CHAPTER FOUR Marx's Critical Science.
CHAPTER FIVE Democracy and Property in Athens.
(a) Plato's Ideal Polis.
(b) Aristotle.
(c) The Stoics.
CHAPTER SIX Towards the Modern State.
(a) Scholasticism.
(b) Machiavelli.
(c) Hobbes.
(d) Spinoza
(e) Locke.
(f) Montesquieu.
(g) Rousseau.
(h) Kant.
(i) Adam Smith.
CHAPTER SEVEN Hegel's Contradictory Summary of the Tradition .
CHAPTER EIGHT Karl Marx's Critique of Politics.
CHAPTER NINE Marx, Communism and Revolution.
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