In contemporary times, that are characterised through the existence of multiple severe crises the... more In contemporary times, that are characterised through the existence of multiple severe crises the question of capitalist stability reposes itself more urgently than in the last few decades. With the ongoing process of mass impoverishment and further precaritisation the general lack of important social uprisings against the reigning political relations can no longer be primarily explained by people’s active consent. It rather needs to be pointed out how capitalist stability relies on various interacting pillars. Some of them, on whom the essay concentrates, cannot be conceptualised as having capitalist stability as their primary goal. The basal positioning of workers under capitalism makes it appear rational to them to rather individually subordinate under the logics of capital than to collectively rebel against them. In addition, capitalism shapes the world in its own image and therefore structurally undermines fundamental conditions for radical change as it materialises its own logics and imperatives into the Earth as well as in people’s subjectivity. For that reason actors of socialist politics need to take into account how capitalism structurally reproduces its own and only its own conditions. This can be answered through working on holistic educational approaches with the aim of self-liberation of the subalterns.
Kritiknetz - Zeitschrift für Kritische Theorie der Gesellschaft, 2023
Dass Karl Marx als einer der einflussreichsten Kapitalismuskritiker aller Zeiten gilt, ist unbest... more Dass Karl Marx als einer der einflussreichsten Kapitalismuskritiker aller Zeiten gilt, ist unbestritten. Zur Debatte steht, was Marx am Kapitalismus zu kritisieren hatte und wie er dies tat. Entgegen simplizistischer Ansätze ist das Marx`sche Werk keineswegs ein kontinuierlicher Progress, sondern von Brüchen und Widersprüchen gekennzeichnet. Hierzu liefert der Text von Joshua Graf eine erste Einführung.
Anhand einer Rekonstruktion des Marx`schen Kritikverständnisses zeigt er auf, dass das Konzept des Fetischismus zentral für seine Kritik der politischen Ökonomie ist. Graf will zeigen, dass „Das Kapital“ als Marx`sches Hauptwerk, trotz aller Brüche und Diskontinuitäten, die ausgereifteste Form der Kapitalismuskritik darstellt. Damit leistet Graf einen Beitrag zur Erneuerung eines linken Kritikverständnisses.
Marx is praised as an honorable fighter for equality, even by many political opponents. At the sa... more Marx is praised as an honorable fighter for equality, even by many political opponents. At the same time, it seems to be the broadly accepted consensus that he sacrificed individual freedom to loftier ideals of justice and equality. This narrative must be retired, as it does not hold up to scrutiny; Marx saw great value in freedom and individuality. However, he did not share the liberal anthropologist view of the abstract concept of freedom. Instead, he insisted on the need for social cooperation to realize further degrees of personal freedom. He understood that freedom does not exist as a formal category, but only ever in relation to a specific need in a human-natureinteraction. For this reason an understanding of Marx' conceptualization of work and society is indispensable.
In contemporary times, that are characterised through the existence of multiple severe crises the... more In contemporary times, that are characterised through the existence of multiple severe crises the question of capitalist stability reposes itself more urgently than in the last few decades. With the ongoing process of mass impoverishment and further precaritisation the general lack of important social uprisings against the reigning political relations can no longer be primarily explained by people’s active consent. It rather needs to be pointed out how capitalist stability relies on various interacting pillars. Some of them, on whom the essay concentrates, cannot be conceptualised as having capitalist stability as their primary goal. The basal positioning of workers under capitalism makes it appear rational to them to rather individually subordinate under the logics of capital than to collectively rebel against them. In addition, capitalism shapes the world in its own image and therefore structurally undermines fundamental conditions for radical change as it materialises its own logics and imperatives into the Earth as well as in people’s subjectivity. For that reason actors of socialist politics need to take into account how capitalism structurally reproduces its own and only its own conditions. This can be answered through working on holistic educational approaches with the aim of self-liberation of the subalterns.
Kritiknetz - Zeitschrift für Kritische Theorie der Gesellschaft, 2023
Dass Karl Marx als einer der einflussreichsten Kapitalismuskritiker aller Zeiten gilt, ist unbest... more Dass Karl Marx als einer der einflussreichsten Kapitalismuskritiker aller Zeiten gilt, ist unbestritten. Zur Debatte steht, was Marx am Kapitalismus zu kritisieren hatte und wie er dies tat. Entgegen simplizistischer Ansätze ist das Marx`sche Werk keineswegs ein kontinuierlicher Progress, sondern von Brüchen und Widersprüchen gekennzeichnet. Hierzu liefert der Text von Joshua Graf eine erste Einführung.
Anhand einer Rekonstruktion des Marx`schen Kritikverständnisses zeigt er auf, dass das Konzept des Fetischismus zentral für seine Kritik der politischen Ökonomie ist. Graf will zeigen, dass „Das Kapital“ als Marx`sches Hauptwerk, trotz aller Brüche und Diskontinuitäten, die ausgereifteste Form der Kapitalismuskritik darstellt. Damit leistet Graf einen Beitrag zur Erneuerung eines linken Kritikverständnisses.
Marx is praised as an honorable fighter for equality, even by many political opponents. At the sa... more Marx is praised as an honorable fighter for equality, even by many political opponents. At the same time, it seems to be the broadly accepted consensus that he sacrificed individual freedom to loftier ideals of justice and equality. This narrative must be retired, as it does not hold up to scrutiny; Marx saw great value in freedom and individuality. However, he did not share the liberal anthropologist view of the abstract concept of freedom. Instead, he insisted on the need for social cooperation to realize further degrees of personal freedom. He understood that freedom does not exist as a formal category, but only ever in relation to a specific need in a human-natureinteraction. For this reason an understanding of Marx' conceptualization of work and society is indispensable.
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Papers by Joshua Graf
Anhand einer Rekonstruktion des Marx`schen Kritikverständnisses zeigt er auf, dass das Konzept des Fetischismus zentral für seine Kritik der politischen Ökonomie ist. Graf will zeigen, dass „Das Kapital“ als Marx`sches Hauptwerk, trotz aller Brüche und Diskontinuitäten, die ausgereifteste Form der Kapitalismuskritik darstellt. Damit leistet Graf einen Beitrag zur Erneuerung eines linken Kritikverständnisses.
Book Reviews by Joshua Graf
Drafts by Joshua Graf
Anhand einer Rekonstruktion des Marx`schen Kritikverständnisses zeigt er auf, dass das Konzept des Fetischismus zentral für seine Kritik der politischen Ökonomie ist. Graf will zeigen, dass „Das Kapital“ als Marx`sches Hauptwerk, trotz aller Brüche und Diskontinuitäten, die ausgereifteste Form der Kapitalismuskritik darstellt. Damit leistet Graf einen Beitrag zur Erneuerung eines linken Kritikverständnisses.