Friday, March 8, 2013
Is There an Alternative to Capitalism? The ongoing global recession, as well as the Occupy movement and the European protests against austerity, have raised anew the question: is there an alternative to capitalism as an economic and social system? Oakton
professor of humanities and philosophy Peter Hudis, author of Marx’s Concept of the Alternative to Capitalism, discusses ongoing efforts by several contemporary thinkers to address this question.

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Marx’s Concept of the Alternative to Capitalism: In contrast to the traditional view that Marx’s work is restricted to a critique of capitalism and does not contain a detailed or coherent conception of its alternative, this book shows, through an analysis of his published and unpublished writings, that Marx was committed to a specific concept of a post-capitalist society that informed his critique of value production, alienated labor and capitalist accumulation. Instead of focusing on the present with only a passing reference to the future, Marx’s emphasis on capitalism’s tendency towards dissolution is rooted in a specific conception of what should replace it. In critically re-examining that conception, this book addresses the quest for an alternative to capitalism that has taken on increased importance today.