Abstract

The Social Thought of Karl Marx is an introductory work for students in the social sciences and the humanities. It can be used by undergraduate students, graduate students, scholars, and general readers. The book is written for people who have no previous knowledge of Karl Marx's work. Nonetheless, readers with some knowledge of Marx will also find the presentation to be helpful. The Social Thought of Karl Marx contains ten chapters organized to assist readers learn the general themes, categories, and applications of Marx's ideas. Topics covered in the chapters include the intellectual climate of his time, alienation, class, historical materialism, exploitation, ideology, economic crises, communism, and environmental decay. Marx's thought was focused on analyzing the structure, development, and problems of capitalist economies. Accordingly, The Social Thought of Karl Marx takes Marx's research on capitalism as its center-point. An outline of the basic features of capitalism is presented in the first chapter along with common defenses and criticisms of its outcomes. Marx's categories and ideas are individually discussed in light of his critique of capitalism. A chapter is devoted to Marx's statements concerning capitalism's impact on the environment. This addition is timely due to the recent resurgence of the field of Ecological Marxism. Each chapter concludes with a set of questions to assist in developing applications based on Marx's thought and to consider their cogency. A glossary has been added to help readers in learning Marx's terminology. The final chapter contains a set of additional readings to provide people a starting point for their future studies. Contents: 1. The World of Karl Marx 2. Marx's Materialism 3. Alienation 4. Class 5. Historical Materialism 6. Economis 7. Ideology 8. Communism 9. Capitalism and the Environment 10. Further Readings"