Critical Theory and the Critique of Political Economy: On Subversion and Negative Reason

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A&C Black, May 8, 2014 - Political Science - 246 pages

Subversive thought is none other than the cunning of reason when confronted with a social reality in which the poor and miserable are required to sustain the illusion of fictitious wealth. Yet, this subsidy is absolutely necessary in existing society, to prevent its implosion. The critique of political economy is a thoroughly subversive business. It rejects the appearance of economic reality as a natural thing, argues that economy has not independent existence, expounds economy as political economy, and rejects as conformist rebellion those anti-capitalist perspectives that derive their rationality from the existing conceptuality of society. Subversion focuses on human conditions. Its critical subject is society unaware of itself. This book develops Marx's critique of political economy as negative theory of society. It does not conform to the patterns of the world and demands that society rids itself of all the muck of ages and founds itself anew.

 

Contents

Critical theory and the critique of political economy
1
Part ONE On the critique of political economy as a critical social theory
19
On social wealth and class
77
Part Three Capital world market and state
145
Theology and negative practice
193
Selected bibliography
229
Index
239
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About the author (2014)

Werner Bonefeld teaches in the Department of Politics at the University of York, UK. His work contributed to the development of the internationally recognised Open Marxism school.

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