The Revenge of Marx (If Not Marxists)

One of the unforeseen consequences of the financial crisis is the rediscovery of Marx, and particularly of his still trenchant, if difficult, analysis of capitalsim in volume one of Capital.

Christopher Hitchens makes just this case in this month's Atlantic. He argues persuasively that though a century and a half have passed since the publication of Capital, it nonetheless offers not only a timeless analysis of capitalism in general, but a razor-sharp insight into the problems besetting us now.

I have begun re-reading Capital for the first time since my early graduate school days. It is something of a revelation. For those who want to do this but find the prospect a bit daunting, David Harvey of CUNY has an online course that is both informative and accessible to the layman and that includes this introduction:




I still find much that comes out of current neo-marxist political economy to be outright loopy, but revisiting the original is proving to be a rewarding experience.