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

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.>

About the author

Werner Bonefeld teaches in the Department of Politics at the University of York, UK. Before coming to York he taught at the Universities of Frankfurt and Edinburgh. He has  conducted post-graduate seminars on critical theory at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, the Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, adn at Universidad de Buenos Aires (2008). His work contributed to the development of the internationally recognised Open Marxism school.

Product details

• Authors: Mr Werner Bonefeld, Mr. Werner Bonefeld, Prof. Werner Bonefeld, Werner Bonefeld
• Assisted by: Darrow Schecter (Editor)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.01.2016
• EAN: 9781501317750
• ISBN: 978-1-5013-1775-0
• No. of pages: 256
• Series: Critical Theory and Contempora; Critical Theory and Contemporary Society; Critical Theory and Contempora
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political theories and the history of ideas