Marx, the Young Hegelians, and the Origins of Radical Social Theory

Modern European Philosophy

by Warren Breckman

This is the first major study of Marx and the Young Hegelians in twenty years. The book offers a new interpretation of Marx's early development, the political dimension of Young Hegelianism, and that movement's relationship to political and intellectual currents in early nineteenth-century Germany. The book draws together an account of major figures such as Feuerbach and Marx, with discussions of lesser-known but significant figures, as well as such movements as French Saint-Simonianism and "Positive Philosophy." Wide-ranging in scope and synthetic in approach this is an important book for historians of philosophy, theology, political theory and nineteenth-century ideas.

Genres: Philosophy, History, Politics, Sociology, European History

335 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 1998

About the author

Warren Breckman is Associate Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania and executive editor of the Journal of the History of Ideas.

Reviews

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a book of history, the author is no doubt correct, but as a work of philosophy, this book is a complete disaster. At no point does the author ever clarify or explain a thinker's position, he only states it. E.g., "Hegel was an idealist" would be a correct claim found in this book, but what that means or entails is never forthcoming. Every time the author introduces a new theorist, although he states the beliefs of the theorist, he never provides the justification for those beliefs, thus this is a terrible philosophy book, despite being a correct and useful history book.