Marx And Alienation In Contemporary Society Barry Padgett by Barry Padgett 9780826490292, 0826490298 instant download after payment.

In light of events of the late 80's & early 90's, some naively suppose that capitalism has emerged victorious over communism, & hence that the former is practically & philosophically justified by its historical dominance. Even so-called "analytical Marxists" argue that in his later works Marx abandons an earlier humanistic perspective & with it his conception of alienation.
Is Francis Fukuyama correct to assert that we now have a glimpse of "the end of history," given that capitalism has seemingly triumphed over its alternatives? Some authors, such as David Schweickart, answer with a resounding, no. He is adamant that, "getting beyond capitalism is the best hope for our species." Altho he does his best to offer an alternative to contemporary capitalism, his model is fraught with difficulties & doesn't answer the question of the application of Marx's alienation theory to contemporary society.
This book argues that Marx doesn't abandon the alienation concept. Contrary to analytical Marxists & pro-capitalists, its application remains relevant to the world economy. This account analyses four fundamental manifestations of the corrosive nature of American-style capitalism: excessive consumerism, negative globalization effects, cruel economic inequalities between persons & a deep "irrational exuberance" intensifying our interaction in the material world (from the pace of our work-lives to our relation to the environment). Padgett argues that new forms of these four traditional aspects of alienation are still present in our world, & hence that Marx's analyses of negative aspects of capitalism are still widely relevant.