Penguin Classics 01 Capital A Critique Of Political Economy [Paperback]

First, a note on what CAPITAL is not. It is not a "communist" tract, though it is a foundation for communist thought. Marx follows two main trains of thought -- the first is observational, the second diagnostic. He explains how capitalism works, and why it works that way. Disagreeable as some of his ideas may be, they cannot be brushed away by citing the examples of Stalin and Pol Pot to discredit them. Unlike the typical Communist dictator, Marx was a hard-working scholar, a clear thinker, a fundamentally honest writer. His familiarity with the whole spectrum of economic and philosophical writings that preceded him is unquestionable, and CAPITAL is probably more impressive to a reader who's read THE WEALTH OF NATIONS (Adam Smith), if nothing else.

The capitalism of Marx's time (mid-19th century) had dismal effects on the "proletariat" or working-class, and CAPITAL cannot be fully appreciated without some knowledge of how England, the most industrialized nation in the world, looked at that period of history. Charles Dickens is one writer who "exposed" the condition of the poor, in a more acceptable (though no less wordy) fashion it seems.

CAPITAL is certainly an important book and it is not the unreadable monstrosity it's reputed to be. It is repetitious, but usually the repetition includes some new twist as Marx proceeds from one aspect of his theory to the next. The purpose of the book was to establish a scientific basis for his understanding of capitalism, so Marx employs numerous algebraic equations that might scare readers away at first. They are not complicated, however, nor are they really "mathematical" so much as illustrative of abstract economic processes. One quickly grows accustomed to them; I personally find them amusing.

Marx's book is also a polemical text, and he injects some bitter wit and just plain nastiness into his analysis. Either he couldn't restrain himself, or it's a rhetorical device, but whatever the case, CAPITAL contains some very interesting screeds and some very memorable caricatures of capitalists. Overall a powerful book and one that promotes greater understanding of the forces that shape our world even today.

Let's have a clear understanding of what Marx was all about:

Marx taught that Capitalism is just a product of very cruel social relations, and that these relations are simply a more subtle form of the old lord/vassal ones from the Middle Ages. It's not the reflection of any kind of cosmic law. It was born, it lives, and one day it will die. Everything he writes follows upon that premise. More importantly, he calls things exactly as he see them. Like Trotsky decades later, he has no problem giving Capitalism credit where it's due. While personally a fanatic, Marx nevertheless largely managed to segregate this facet of his personality from his intellectual explorations, and where he fails it's easy to detect.

There's no control of religion here.

There's no control of free speech.

There's no sappy "socialism." You'd be able to work as hard as you like in a Communist society, and it can be easily arranged for you to be compensated for that. You'd be able to rise to a position of authority -- and be compensated for that as well. This is what Communism's all about after all -- paying you what you're worth. You just can't steal the time and energy of your fellow workers like Capitalism allows.

He'd even be opposed to price controls. A commodity can, should, must, and in fact WILL (in the long run) cost exactly as much as it's worth. Otherwise you may as well be go back to Capitalism where you can steal the fruit of people's labor with manic abandon.

Marx is a giant in the history of economic thought, resting solidly on the foundations laid by titans such as David Ricardo and Adam Smith, and moves grandly within the natural flow of western tradition and civilization. There's nothing here people like Benjamin Franklin (whom he quotes warmly at least three times in this book), Shakespeare, and Aristotle wouldn't appreciate.

Anyone who's read this book knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Bring your thinking cap, though, 'cause this book's hard. Especially since you have to unlearn everything you've been taught all your life. Remember -- the Matrix (or to use a more traditional metaphor: Plato's cave) has you. And most people would rather shoot you than be dragged out of it. So read it. And Educate! Educate! Educate!