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pagesofeliza's review against another edition
4.0
ok no i did not read every single chapter of capital, i only read as much as i had to for class, but I AM CONSIDERING IT FAR MORE THAN ENOUGH TO CALL THIS FINISHED BECAUSE I AM ACTUALLY NAUSEOUS AND DETERIORATING PHYSICALLY FROM READING THIS TEXT. FAR TOO MANY PAGES. FAR TOO MANY. I HAVE BEEN READING MARX FOR TWO HOURS A DAY FOR LIKE THE LAST FEW WEEKS. I AM FINISHED. TERMINATED. DONE. GOODBYE. SEEYA. I APPRECIATE THE GENIUS GOING ON HERE AND I LEARNED SO MUCH BUT THANK GOD IT IS OVER.
synthism's review against another edition
3.0
It's impossible for me to give a rating so I just gave a number in the middle... I was crunched for time to read this, and had to read it by a certain date. I know I will reread it in the future, at which time I can hopefully say something useful rather than being overwhelmed by it.
jpowerj's review against another edition
5.0
What can I say that others haven't already said? This book truly changed the world more than most books, up there with the bible, the declaration of independence, etc... That being said, I think that a summary of the book (i.e., Richard Wolff's or David Harvey's) is more than sufficient for someone who doesn't have time to read this tome. This was an 8-month project for me, and I'm not sure how worthwhile it was for such a long time. Still, it's something I can check off my bucket list :)
skarayol's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
caris96's review against another edition
5.0
“Let us consider, on the other hand, the capitalist. He wishes to receive as much labour as possible for as little money as possible. In practice, therefore, the only thing that interests him is the difference between the price of labour-power and the value which its function creates. But he tries to buy all commodities as cheaply as possible, and his own invariable explanation of his profit is that it is a result of mere sharp practice, of buying under the value and selling over it. Hence he never comes to see that if such a thing as the value of labour really existed, and he really paid this value, no capital would exist, and his money would never be transformed into capital” (682).
As one of my most highly anticipated reads, I don’t think I could do a review of this work justice without another read and a lot of reflection. For now, I’m just going to give a few thoughts about my overall reading experience.
Capital is one of those books with such a profound historical and philosophical footprint that it’s hard not to jump into it with a lot of expectations. But even so, I was very impressed. This work is such a robust, well-researched polemic that I’m not sure how one could finish it with a remotely sympathetic view of capitalism unscathed. Throughout, Marx weaves together historical commentary, scientific analysis, and criticism of the capitalist mode of production. And he concludes with thirty pages on the total destruction that capitalism wages through colonization.
I think the most damning part of reading this was every few pages reading something horrible that employers were doing in the 1800’s (under legal protection from the state) and recalling umpteen instances of the same violations in our modern society. As Marx so concisely put it:
“What could be more characteristic of the capitalist mode of production than the fact that it is necessary, by Act of Parliament, to force upon the capitalists the simplest appliances for maintaining cleanliness and health?” (611).
Additionally, while some of Marx’s terminology is difficult to understand, I found most of the work to be more accessible than I expected. It also takes far less time to read than one might expect for ~1,000 pages. This is another must-read in my opinion.
As one of my most highly anticipated reads, I don’t think I could do a review of this work justice without another read and a lot of reflection. For now, I’m just going to give a few thoughts about my overall reading experience.
Capital is one of those books with such a profound historical and philosophical footprint that it’s hard not to jump into it with a lot of expectations. But even so, I was very impressed. This work is such a robust, well-researched polemic that I’m not sure how one could finish it with a remotely sympathetic view of capitalism unscathed. Throughout, Marx weaves together historical commentary, scientific analysis, and criticism of the capitalist mode of production. And he concludes with thirty pages on the total destruction that capitalism wages through colonization.
I think the most damning part of reading this was every few pages reading something horrible that employers were doing in the 1800’s (under legal protection from the state) and recalling umpteen instances of the same violations in our modern society. As Marx so concisely put it:
“What could be more characteristic of the capitalist mode of production than the fact that it is necessary, by Act of Parliament, to force upon the capitalists the simplest appliances for maintaining cleanliness and health?” (611).
Additionally, while some of Marx’s terminology is difficult to understand, I found most of the work to be more accessible than I expected. It also takes far less time to read than one might expect for ~1,000 pages. This is another must-read in my opinion.