Capitalism and its Critics offers an accessible account of major theories of capitalism from the industrial revolution to the present day. The book provides a comprehensive account of the economic and social thought of key theorists from Adam Smith and Karl Marx to David Harvey and Thomas Piketty.
Capitalism has long been the subject of passionate debate, and today such contestations are perhaps more timely than ever. For its advocates, capitalism brings democracy and freedom and is the cornerstone of modernity and of progress. For its critics, capitalism is based on the exploitation of labour and is responsible for the destruction of the environment as well as colonialism. Whether capitalism survives the century, or whether an alternative social system emerges, may very well determine the fate of humanity. Capitalism and its Critics gives a comprehensive critical analysis of the most important theorists of capitalism, including Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Joseph Schumpeter, Karl Polanyi, F.A. Hayek, J.M. Keynes, David Harvey, and Thomas Piketty. The book discusses some of the main debates about capitalism and considers alternatives in the twenty-first century. The 12 chapters are loosely chronologically organised around the main approaches and historical phases in the history of capitalism. Central themes of the book are the ideas of capitalist crisis and of tensions between democracy and capitalism in the making of modernity.
A highly readable, informative and engaging text, Capitalism and its Critics is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding capitalism and its alternatives.
Author(s): Gerard Delanty, Neal Harris
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 219
City: London
Cover
Endorsement
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: Capitalism, Crisis and Critique
Notes
References
1 From Smith to Marx: Marx’s Critique of Capitalism
The Ambivalent Legacy of Adam Smith
From Smith to Marx
Marx’s Critique of Political Economy
The End of Capitalism: The Logic of Revolution and Its Economic Preconditions
Marx and Capitalism Today
Notes
References
2 Weber and the Iron Cage of Modern Capitalism
Marx After Weber: Weberian Marxism
Rationalization and Capitalism
Why Did This All Happen? The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Trapped in the Iron Cage?
Notes
References
3 Schumpeter and Capitalist Crisis
Schumpeter: Between Weber and Marx
Creative Destruction and Capitalist Crisis
Was Schumpeter Right?
Notes
References
4 Karl Polanyi and the Moral Critique of Capitalism
The Moral Critique of Capitalism
The Great Transformation and Its Aftermath
A Contemporary Reappraisal
Notes
References
5 F. A. Hayek and the Emergence of Neoliberalism
The Road to Serfdom
The Rise of Neoliberalism
Hayek and His Contested Legacy
Notes
References
6 The Rise and Fall of Organized Capitalism: J. M. Keynes and Social Liberalism
The Era of Organized Capitalism
Saving Capitalism: Social Liberalism
John Maynard Keynes
Disorganized Capitalism and End of the ‘Golden Age’
Notes
References
7 The Frankfurt School: Capitalism, Reason, Desire
Adorno and Horkheimer: Reification, Instrumental Rationality, the Culture Industry
Marcuse and ‘One Dimensionality’
Fromm: Capitalism as ‘Pathological Normalcy’
The Limits and Contemporary Relevance of First-Generation Critical Theory
Conclusion
Notes
References
8 Late Capitalism and Capitalist Crises
The Inevitability of Crises in Late Capitalism: Ernest Mandel and Fred Hirsch
Habermas and Legitimation Crises
Post-structuralist and Post-Modern Critiques of Capitalism
Daniel Bell: The Cultural Contradictions of Late Capitalism
Conclusion
Notes
References
9 The Hidden Abodes of Capitalism: Environment, Gender, ‘Race’
Environmental Critiques of Capitalism
Feminist Critiques of Capitalism
Racial Capitalism
Conclusion
Notes
References
10 Neoliberalism Triumphant: The New Spirit of Capitalism, Networks, Globalization
The New Spirit of Capitalism
Varieties of Capitalism
The Information Age: Economy, Society, Culture
Empire
The Shock Doctrine
Conclusion
Notes
References
11 The Financial Crisis and Austerity Capitalism: Responses From Thomas Piketty and David Harvey
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
David Harvey: The Enigma of Capital
Precarity and Alienation
Conclusion
Notes
References
12 The End of Capitalism: Contemporary Critiques of Capitalism
Slavoj Žižek: The End Times of Capitalism
Wolfgang Streeck: Capitalism’s Democratic Deficit
Authoritarian Neoliberalism
Shoshana Zuboff: Surveillance Capitalism
McKenzie Wark: Capital Is Dead
Paul Mason: Post-Capitalism and Post-Work
Conclusion: What Is To Be Done?
Notes
References
Index
