Is Marx's Thought on Freedom Contradictory?

Kandiyali, Jan

Abstract

In The Longing for Total Revolution Bernard Yack argues that Marx’s thought is plagued by a recurring contradiction. On the one hand, Marx criticizes his idealist predecessors for failing to get beyond the dichotomy between human freedom and natural necessity, and he identifies labour, activity determined by the necessity of having to satisfy material needs, as the primary activity of human freedom. On the other hand, Marx’s account of what makes us distinctively human as well as his view that capitalism dehumanizes workers implicitly relies on the same dichotomy. In response, this paper argues that while Yack identifies a tension in Marx’s writings, he overlooks the resources Marx has to resolve it.

Citation

Kandiyali, J. (2021). Is Marx's Thought on Freedom Contradictory?. Critical Review, 33(2), 171-183. https://doi.org/10.1080/08913811.2021.1984052

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Nov 9, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021
• Deposit Date: Sep 23, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: May 9, 2023
• Journal: Critical Review
• Print ISSN: 0891-3811
• Electronic ISSN: 1933-8007
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 171-183
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08913811.2021.1984052
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1235117