Karl Marx's Realist Critique of Capitalism

“This is an important and ambitious piece of work. It develops a number of large-scale and bold theses about Marx’s method in political theory, his critique of capitalism and his vision of a better society. It is well researched and well argued. It will have a significant impact on debates about these issues.” —Sean Sayers, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Kent, UK “This sober and wide-ranging work is a clear and thoughtful account of some of Marx's central concepts and theses, and a spirited defense of their relevance as tools for understanding and criticising contemporary society. It will be of interest to anyone who wishes to know where we are and where we might go.” —Raymond Geuss FBA, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge, UK This book offers the first realist reconstruction of Marx’s critique of capitalism. Reading Marx through a realist lens enables us to make sense of the connections between (1) Marx’s positive concept of freedom, rooted in a theory of human development, (2) his understanding of alienation as diagnosing capitalist unfreedom, and (3) his conceptions of democracy and socialism, respectively, as the cures for this unfreedom. Along the way, it discusses and responds to some of Marx’s most insightful critics, such as Max Weber and Friedrich Hayek. This clarifies Marx’s ideas for a new generation of political thinkers; explains the challenge they pose to contemporary debates about freedom, democracy, and future economic institutions; and demonstrates that these ideas remain both defensible and compelling. Paul Raekstad is an Assistant Professor of Political Theory at the University of Amsterdam working on radical political theory, in particular Marxism, anarchism, prefigurative politics, and direct action. They co-authored Prefigurative Politics: Building Tomorrow Today (2020).