Philosophy
When the name Marx comes up, people's immediate reaction usually takes them to thoughts of communism and the various failed attempts by the Russians, Chinese and Cubans to institute their own versions of what they considered Marx's vision to represent. But although he's immediately associated with communism, I've always found Marx the analyst, critic and prophet of capitalism to be the most fascinating of his personas.
When you read Marx's analysis of capitalism and understand the self-contradictions inherent in the logical and moral structure of capitalism, you'd be ready to forswear it indefinitely if it weren't for the fact that at the very same time Marx points to its evils, his admiration for the power, flexibility and ingenuity of this universal acid can't help but shine through as well.
Marx can be understood from various perspectives, philosophical, historical, moral, psychological, economic, sociological, etc. The following documentary provides an economic perspective--a decidedly biased, narrow and too literalist view to be sure, and one focusing too much on the question of labor and the struggle between proletariat vs bourgeois while ignoring the multiple other ways in which capitalism externalizes costs geographically, demographically, environmentally, etc.--but one certainly interesting to think about and understand nonetheless.
Given its tremendous success, we all tend to admire Adam Smith's ideas concerning the efficiency of the invisible hand of capitalism. Marx realized, however, that there may be an inverse relationship between industrial efficiency and human meaning and pride, and consequently developed an incredibly important theory of alienation that still rings true today, and that we'd do well to understand...
- Feast Of Saint Zeppo
This week we commemorate the passing of Herbert Manfred Marx, best known as Zeppo. He is the Comedist version of Saint Jude. Often called the funniest of the Marx Brothers off-stage, in the act he was the straight man, always setting up the jokes, but...
- Congrats Hanno And The Feast Of Saint Michael
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, We must begin this weekend with a heartfelt congratulations to our Playground playfriend Hanno for becoming a father again. The little guy is very lucky to have the parents he has, but luckier...
- Opiate, M'asses
So last weekend, Gwydion posed the following question: Religion, as we all know, is the opiate of the masses -- and now I find myself wondering whether Comedism's actually any different. Specifically, I'm thinking about the work with biofeedback...
- Karl Marx
(1818-1883) ?The writer may very well serve a movement of history as its mouthpiece, but he cannot of course create it,? says Karl Marx, but he was himself such a writer whose ideas have swayed the course of history. Karl Marx was a German philosopher,...
- David Harvey - The Crises Of Capitalism
The recent financial crisis has affected just about everyone, and the question of why it arose in the first place is one that comes naturally to mind. Answers, of course, abound, and most of them do have some merit, but there is something which most schools...
Philosophy
Masters of Money - Karl Marx
When you read Marx's analysis of capitalism and understand the self-contradictions inherent in the logical and moral structure of capitalism, you'd be ready to forswear it indefinitely if it weren't for the fact that at the very same time Marx points to its evils, his admiration for the power, flexibility and ingenuity of this universal acid can't help but shine through as well.
Marx can be understood from various perspectives, philosophical, historical, moral, psychological, economic, sociological, etc. The following documentary provides an economic perspective--a decidedly biased, narrow and too literalist view to be sure, and one focusing too much on the question of labor and the struggle between proletariat vs bourgeois while ignoring the multiple other ways in which capitalism externalizes costs geographically, demographically, environmentally, etc.--but one certainly interesting to think about and understand nonetheless.
Given its tremendous success, we all tend to admire Adam Smith's ideas concerning the efficiency of the invisible hand of capitalism. Marx realized, however, that there may be an inverse relationship between industrial efficiency and human meaning and pride, and consequently developed an incredibly important theory of alienation that still rings true today, and that we'd do well to understand...
- Feast Of Saint Zeppo
This week we commemorate the passing of Herbert Manfred Marx, best known as Zeppo. He is the Comedist version of Saint Jude. Often called the funniest of the Marx Brothers off-stage, in the act he was the straight man, always setting up the jokes, but...
- Congrats Hanno And The Feast Of Saint Michael
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, We must begin this weekend with a heartfelt congratulations to our Playground playfriend Hanno for becoming a father again. The little guy is very lucky to have the parents he has, but luckier...
- Opiate, M'asses
So last weekend, Gwydion posed the following question: Religion, as we all know, is the opiate of the masses -- and now I find myself wondering whether Comedism's actually any different. Specifically, I'm thinking about the work with biofeedback...
- Karl Marx
(1818-1883) ?The writer may very well serve a movement of history as its mouthpiece, but he cannot of course create it,? says Karl Marx, but he was himself such a writer whose ideas have swayed the course of history. Karl Marx was a German philosopher,...
- David Harvey - The Crises Of Capitalism
The recent financial crisis has affected just about everyone, and the question of why it arose in the first place is one that comes naturally to mind. Answers, of course, abound, and most of them do have some merit, but there is something which most schools...