Marx: A Philosophy of Human Reality [Hardcover]

If we are to understandMarx's thought, argues French philosopher Michel Henry, we must cast asideMarxism. In his original and richly detailed study ofMarx's philosophy, Henry emphasizes the importance of approachingMarx's writings directly, rather than through the intermediary of subsequent interpretations, which often have been politically motivated. In contrast to the usual depiction ofMarxian thought as an economically oriented analysis of social reality, Henry contends that inMarx's theory philosophy is primary. Therefore,Marx's writings must properly be viewedand judgedwithin the context of the modern philosophical tradition.Marx's basic concern, Henry demonstrates, is with the nature of the human being, the real conditions of human individuality. Central to Henry's reading ofMarx, and elaborated here with unprecedented thoroughness, is the theory of praxis, a conception of the individual not as a thinking being, in the Cartesian tradition, but as a laboring being, a producer and consumer situated in a concrete social world. This novel and provocative contribution to the current debate about the nature and meaning ofMarx's thought is essential for students of philosophy,Marxism, and political theory. Kathleen McLaughlin's excellent translation of Henry's abridgement of his two-volume work preserves the power and freshness of the French original.

Michel Henry is Professor of Philosophy at the Universit? Paul Val?ry in Montpellier and author ofThe Essence of ManifestationandPhilosophy and Phenomenology of the Body.

Kathleen McLaughlin's translations from the French includeThe Cogito in Husserl's Philosophyby Gaston Berger.