The Cambridge Companion to Marx

The Cambridge Companion to Marx is a 1991 collection of articles about the philosopher Karl Marx edited by the political theorist Terrell Carver. The book received both positive and mixed reviews. Reviewers questioned the inclusion or exclusion of particular topics, but praised some of the contributions.

The Cambridge Companion to Marx
Cover
EditorTerrell Carver
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SeriesCambridge Companions
SubjectKarl Marx
PublisherCambridge University Press
Publication date
1991
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages357
ISBN978-0521366946

Summary

The Cambridge Companion to Marx includes an account of Marx's life by Carver,[1] a discussion of Marxism and the reception of Marx's work by the political theorist Paul Thomas,[2] an account of Marx's social and political theory by the philosopher Richard W. Miller,[3] a discussion of Marx's thought from the standpoint of contemporary philosophy of science by the political scientist James Farr,[4] an account of Marx's theory of history by the political scientist Terence Ball,[5] a discussion of Marx's moral philosophy by the philosopher Jeffrey Reiman,[6] an investigation of Marx's political theory by the sociologist Alan Gilbert,[7] a feminist critique of Marx's concept of reproduction by the economist Susan Himmelweit,[8] a discussion of Marxism and gender by the sociologist Jeff Hearn,[9] and a discussion of Marx's philosophy of art by the political scientist William Adams.[10] The book includes a defense of dialectical logic by the economist Lawrence Wilde. Wilde additionally discusses analytical Marxism and the work of authors such as the philosopher G. A. Cohen, the economist John Roemer, and the political theorist Jon Elster.[11] The book also includes a discussion of the "metaphysics of substance" in Marx by the philosopher Scott Meikle and an account of Marx's view of religion by the philosopher Denys Turner.[12][13]

List of contributors
  • Terrell Carver, "Reading Marx: Life and works"
  • Paul Thomas, "Critical reception: Marx then and now"
  • Richard W. Miller, "Social and political theory: Class, state, revolution"
  • James Farr, "Science: Realism, criticism, history"
  • Terence Ball, "History: Critique and irony"
  • Jeffrey Reiman, "Moral philosophy: The critique of capitalism and the problem of ideology"
  • Alan Gilbert, "Political philosophy: Marx and radical democracy"
  • Susan Himmelweit, "Reproduction and the materialist conception of history: A feminist critique"
  • Jeff Hearn, "Gender: Biology, nature, and capitalism"
  • William Adams "Aesthetics: Liberating the senses"
  • Lawrence Wilde, "Logic: Dialectic and contradiction"
  • Scott Meikle, "History of philosophy: The metaphysics of substance in Marx"
  • Denys Turner, "Religion: Illusions and liberation"

Publication history

The Cambridge Companion to Marx was first published by Cambridge University Press in 1991.[14]

Reception

The Cambridge Companion to Marx received positive reviews from R. Hudelson in Choice and Lesley A. Jacobs in Philosophy of the Social Sciences,[15][16] and mixed reviews from Zachary T. Irwin in Library Journal and Andrew Levine in Ethics.[17][18]

Hudelson considered most of the essays included in the book to be of high quality.[15] Jacobs described the book as a "superb collection of essays". He especially praised the contribution by Reiman.[16]

Irwin criticized the choice of topics covered, noting that while the book included chapters on feminism, gender theory, and religion, it excluded a chapter on economics. Nevertheless, he concluded that the "unimpeachable quality" of its individual chapters "demonstrates the enduring value of Marx's text". He credited Miller with carefully discussing Marx's use of terms such as "exploitation", "the state", and "ideology", Meikle with exposing the confusion between Marx's thought and "progressive [Benthamite] egalitarianism, and Wilde with addressing "the neglected question of Marx's dialectical reasoning." He also praised the book's bibliography. He recommended the book for "academic and larger public libraries."[19]

Levine wrote that many of the essays included in the book succeeded well in providing "a genuinely encyclopedic perspective" on Marx, presenting "accessible, comprehensive, and generally uncontentious accounts of Marx's work that somehow manage to be cognizant of but not unduly beholden to any of the various strains of Marxism that have for so long overshadowed the thought of Marx himself." He considered Carver's account of Marx's life and intellectual development concise and useful, and Thomas's discussion of the reception of the reception of Marx's work and the history of Marxism "remarkably balanced". He praised the contributions by Miller, Reiman, Gilbert, Farr, and Ball. However, he criticized the remainder of the book. He found Wilde's defense of dialectical logic obscure, and while finding Himmelweit's contribution to have merit, he was unconvinced by those by Hearn and Adam. He considered Turner's discussion of Marx's view of religion insightful, but still questioned whether it and some of the other contributions were appropriate to the book.[18]

The Cambridge Companion to Marx was praised by the political scientist David McLellan.[20]

See also

References
  1. Carver 1999, pp. 1–22.
  2. Thomas 1999, pp. 23–54.
  3. Miller 1999, pp. 55–105.
  4. Farr 1999, pp. 106–123.
  5. Ball 1999, pp. 124–142.
  6. Reiman 1999, pp. 143–167.
  7. Gilbert 1999, pp. 168–195.
  8. Himmelweit 1999, pp. 196–221.
  9. Hearn 1999, pp. 222–245.
  10. Adams 1999, pp. 246–274.
  11. Wilde 1999, pp. 275–295.
  12. Meikle 1999, pp. 296–319.
  13. Turner 1999, pp. 320–337.
  14. Carver 1999, p. iv.
  15. Hudelson 1992, p. 130.
  16. Jacobs 1996, pp. 279–292.
  17. Irwin 1992, pp. 111–113.
  18. Levine 1994, pp. 904–906.
  19. Irwin 1992, p. 111.
  20. McLellan 1995, p. 265.

Bibliography
Books
  • Adams, William (1999). "Aesthetics: Liberating the senses". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Ball, Terence (1999). "History: Critique and irony". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Carver, Terrell (1999). "Reading Marx: Life and works". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Farr, James (1999). "Science: Realism, criticism, history". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Gilbert, Alan (1999). "Political philosophy: Marx and radical democracy". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Hearn, Jeff (1999). "Gender: Biology, nature, and capitalism". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Himmelweit, Susan (1999). "Reproduction and the materialist conception of history: A feminist critique". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • McLellan, David (1995). The Thought of Karl Marx: An Introduction. London: Papermac. ISBN 0-333-63948-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Meikle, Scott (1999). "History of philosophy: The metaphysics of substance in Marx". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Miller, Richard W. (1999). "Social and political theory: Class, state, revolution". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Reiman, Jeffrey (1999). "Moral philosophy: The critique of capitalism and the problem of ideology". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Thomas, Paul (1999). "Critical reception: Marx then and now". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Turner, Denys (1999). "Religion: illusions and liberation". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Wilde, Lawrence (1999). "Logic: Dialectic and contradiction". In Carver, Terrell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Marx. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36694-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Journals
  • Hudelson, R. (1992). "The Cambridge companion to Marx (Book Review)". Choice. 30.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  • Irwin, Zachary T. (1992). "Book reviews: Social sciences". Library Journal. 117 (2).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  • Jacobs, Lesley A. (1996). "The second wave of analytical Marxism". Philosophy of the Social Sciences. 26 (2).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Levine, Andrew (1994). "Book reviews". Ethics. 104 (4).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
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