You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
While it's true that capitalism is a form of oppression, you can't read The Communist Manifesto nowadays without it being overshadowed by what 20th-century revolutionaries did in its name. In pursuit of ostensibly good/just things (overthrow of the oppressors), they ended up creating a system arguably as messed up as its predecessor. Unfortunately, it seems that when The Communist Manifesto is put into practice, the state becomes the oppressor in lieu of the bourgeoise.
Still, I don't think it's right to dismiss Marxist thought completely. It probably just needs more fleshing out, more safeguards, etc. I'm sure there's been loads of learned responses to it by philosophers and political scientists in the years after its publication that perhaps offer improvements upon it. I'm a bit curious actually about what more contemporary thinkers posit, though I'm not sure if I'm up to reading more political pamphlets any time soon. Trying to think about a better system for governance/society makes me a bit depressed about human nature to be honest, since even things that seem just and good in theory become unjust and evil in practice, once flawed, corruptible humans turn theories into reality.
Still, I don't think it's right to dismiss Marxist thought completely. It probably just needs more fleshing out, more safeguards, etc. I'm sure there's been loads of learned responses to it by philosophers and political scientists in the years after its publication that perhaps offer improvements upon it. I'm a bit curious actually about what more contemporary thinkers posit, though I'm not sure if I'm up to reading more political pamphlets any time soon. Trying to think about a better system for governance/society makes me a bit depressed about human nature to be honest, since even things that seem just and good in theory become unjust and evil in practice, once flawed, corruptible humans turn theories into reality.
While I don't think this is a 5 star material, I feel the desire to transgress and balance out in a way all those other ratings and reviews that clearly have not read the book or for some other reason are in reality rating and reviewing the Soviet Union, stalinism, the bolshevik revolution or simply totalitarianism in general instead of commenting about the text itself.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
informative
fast-paced
I am no stranger to the content of this book, I have studied it in uni. My teachers had to repeat Karl Marx' ideas in every single class. Back then, the reading was assigned to me, so I didn't really enjoy it, however, now, it's not. I am surprised to find out that I actually enjoyed it.
challenging
informative
slow-paced