Capital From Zero: Reading Marx in the Age of Climate Catastrophe

by Kōhei Saitō, 斎藤 幸平, Brian Bergstrom (Translator)

For readers of David Harvey and Thomas Piketty comes a new introduction to Marx’s Capital from the author of the internationally bestselling book Slow Down.

The follow-up to his global bestseller Slow Down and a new introduction to Marx's Capital, Capital From Zero is a reading guide, a manifesto, a revision, and a reclamation of Marx's foundational work of political theory. Building on his signature argument of "degrowth communism", Saito's introduction brings Capital squarely into the 21st century, offering a uniquely non-Western, non-dogmatic and eco-socialist reading of the famous text.

Saito is a singular intellect with an essential and innovative point of view—a fresh new voice in Marxist theory who will sit alongside David Harvey and Thomas Piketty in educating and guiding the next generation of radical intellectuals. The book reconstructs Marx’s Capital from a totally new perspective based on more recent research findings, liberating Marx from old dogmas of the Soviet socialism and aiming to rekindle our ability to envision a more equal and sustainable society beyond capitalism.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Economics, Audiobook

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Kohei Saito received his Ph.D. from Humboldt University in Berlin. He is currently associate professor of political economy at Osaka City University. He has published articles and reviews on Marx’s ecology, including “The Emergence of Marx’s Critique of Modern Agriculture,” and “Marx’s Ecological Notebooks,” both in Monthly Review. He is working on editing the complete works of Marx and Engels, Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe (MEGA) Volume IV/18, which includes a number of Marx’s natural scientific notebooks.

Reviews

[Jillian B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a Marxist, but I still got a lot out of this book. It’s a plain-language exploration of Marx’s Capital, with an emphasis on what makes his teachings particularly relevant today. I think a very cool thing about this book is that the author is Japanese and brings their own cultural lens to their reactions to Marx. Things like the emphasis on overwork in many Japanese workplaces felt particularly relevant.

I also appreciated that the author took time to explain why they feel that communist states like the Soviet Union and China are actually a misapplication of Marx’s proposals, and explored what an actual Marxist society would look like. While I’m not fully on board with their vision, I came away from this book with a much more solid understanding of Marxist beliefs.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me access to an eARC of this book!

[♱ Laia Westenra ♱ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kohei Saito, Doctor en Filosofia, escriu el present assaig després d’estudiar a fons “El capital” de Karl Marx. En fa un anàlisi planer i senzill on, a part de destacar els seus punts clau, fa valuoses reflexions. Planteja una visió de futur en que el comunisme es basa sobretot en un sistema associatiu i de respecte cap al nostre planeta. En resum, “l’objectiu és aconseguir una societat en què tots puguem gestionar i compartir allò essencial per a tothom, independentment de la posició econòmica de cadascú, i en què tots poguem viure com a «individus plenament desenvolupats.»” (pàg. 147) A mi m’ha servit per imaginar futurs possibles, en que no tot es basi en produir i consumir sense límits. (7/10)

[Hungry Rye · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Why is he glazing social democracies but shitting on China and the USSR 🫩 the only reason I gave this more than one star is because the parts where he actually talks about capital are good. His analysis of revolution in other countries is shite.

Thank you Libro.fm for the gifted ALC!

[Albert Tapias Planas · Rating 4 out of 5]

És una molt bona porta d’entrada al pensament de Marx. El llibre aconsegueix explicar amb claredat els conceptes centrals d’El capital, fent-los entenedors sense perdre rigor i ajuda a entendre per què l’anàlisi del capitalisme continua sent tan vigent avui.

A més, té l’encert d’anar una mica més enllà, plantejant una possible mirada postcapitalista que el mateix Marx va deixar més oberta. Una lectura útil, pedagògica i estimulant, especialment recomanable per a qui vulgui entendre Marx.

[Movie Goer]

If you've read Kohei Saito's Degrowth Manifesto, this does not tread any new territory, it just updates some of the things that have been happening in the world as of today while preaching the same messages. On the one hand, these are necessary messages and calls to be heard, so it is good that it can reach more people, but as a reader of Kohei, I wanted something more I guess

[Pol Hulsbus · Rating 4 out of 5]

doctrina marxista per dummies, m'ha encantat. té un (1) problema: la traducció alemany-castellà està plena de faltes. he buscat la Lola Figols x linkedin i li diré q li faci una repassada general.

[anna cabrespina · Rating 4 out of 5]

molt bo!

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a read-along to Capital and review of current Marxist scholarship, you can’t do much better. This book makes the need for socialism more clear and urgent than is already apparent; with a solid awareness of how climate change and self-justifying investments in AI are inextricably linked to an economic system fundamentally at odds with a world with limited resources and interconnected systems of renewal.

This book is at its best when it is guiding the reader through Capital’s core ideas, relating them to Marx’s historical context but also the our own, and presents a strong argument that capitalism, at every stage of its existence, has been exploitative and wholly illogical.

I can’t recommend this enough; now more than ever, people must be able to define capitalism and understand its history, to truly understand our present, just as we must be able to define socialism before we can advocate for our future.

That said, I found Saitō’s analysis of existing socialist states, past and present, as well as the path towards socialism he sees as having the most promise to be hurried, not entirely serious, and inconsistent.

For instance, he correctly identifies support for Universal Basic Income as fruitless, in part due to the forces of capital that will inevitably resist any loss of leverage; but believes that more worker co-ops and mutual aid can lay enough groundwork to somehow overcome this power imbalance—to say nothing of the timescale required, given our urgent need to change our destruction of the planet before it becomes even more inhospitable.

He uses the failed Paris Commune as an example for a way of governance and community to aspire to, but also calls for the rejection of Marxist-Leninism, when Marxist-Leninism exists because it answers the very question, “How might the Paris Commune have survived against the rich land-owning upper-class that could not abide its existence?”

A disappointing final 1/3 that in no way changes my recommendation of the first 2/3. There is no longer any excuse; we must all read political theory if we’re going to craft a path towards survival and revolution, and this is a great place to start.

Listened to audiobook, narrated by David DeVries.

[Kuu [semi-ia for china reasons] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC.

This is a really good introduction to Marx's Kapital. It includes references to other works than Marx (some of which hadn't even been written yet at the time of Kapital, I think), and explains Marx's theories and terms in a way that is very accessible for people that aren't economic scientists while not losing out on the relevant nuance or complexity of the matter. I've read Kapital before, and it's a MESS to read if you just go in blind and have never read a text like it before, so I really like this introduction and the modern-day examples. It brings the very relevant theories closer to the reader and their current situation, and explains in a way that doesn't make you feel stupid.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a fan of capitalism, so of course I'm also inclined to agree with the points made, but I think that even if you are not, you would appreciate this book, if only because it spares you from having to go through the actual Kapital.

As an introduction to be read in tandem with or before Kapital, I think the audiobook format works fine. However, if this is your first and only introduction, and you haven't learned about these ideas through cultural osmosis, either, I do think you might benefit more from a written version as it more easily allows you to go back to sections and annotate.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kōhei Saitō is the youngest winner of the Isaac Deutscher Memorial Prize, the “most prestigious academic award for Marxian studies." Saitō famously popularized the term "degrowth communism" in his 2020 book Capital in the Anthropocene (translated in English as Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto). But while his achievements have created a stir in both academic and literary circles, where they've found a receptive audience is in the general public, with his books having sold upwards of 500,000 copies.

In his follow-up book Capital From Zero, Saitō repackages these same theories but contextualizes them as part of a gentle survey of Marx's Capital. The first half of the book presents uncontroversial expositions of ideas in Capital, such as commodification, use-value vs. value, reification, M-C-M, the different ways of obtaining surplus value, and the enclosure of the commons. He then explains why, despite having more technology than ever before, we are feeling increasingly alienated and overworked.

There were three ideas that I thought were particularly interesting in the earlier half of the book. The first is that John Maynard Keynes had predicted that by 2030, the average person would be working only 15 hours a week. While he was directionally correct regarding our gains in productivity, what he failed to take into account was that, after having our basic needs met, we would artificially construct new industries and professions around selling people things they don't need and that don't make them happier.

The second idea is that shortening workweeks is a better way of improving worker well-being than increasing their pay. For one, higher salaries are often used to justify further exploiting workers. For two, when a large subset of the population is unemployed, the increased competition in the labour market and the fear of losing one's job can also push employees to exploit themselves. Reducing the workweek and spreading that labour more equally to reduce unemployment will help curtail the anxiety of many working people.

The third idea is that the alienation most workers feel at their job is a modern phenomenon that results from stripping conception from execution. Whereas most labouring before the industrial revolution involved a combination of both types of work, the modern worker is asked only to execute without any say in the decisions typically reserved for executives and upper management.

When I think about many ambitious people of my generation who want to become entrepreneurs (including my past self), their ultimate goals often fall into one of several buckets: to reclaim the conception of their work, to take back control over their working hours, and to own the means of production. The irony is that in trying to escape the worst parts of being an employee under capitalism, their imagination limits them to only reproducing capitalism. Not only is there no thought of political solutions, there is an underlying belief that others who are less ambitious, disciplined, intelligent, or fortunate—those who make up the majority of the working class—deserve the oppressive life that many entrepreneurs are trying to escape.

It isn't until the second half of the book that Saitō introduces his controversial thesis, namely, that the three volumes of Capital don't properly reflect the final evolution of Marx's ideas. Using unpublished working notes for Volumes II and III of Capital, Saitō claims that Marx started to believe less in a "productivist" path to Socialism—the idea that Capitalism is a necessary step in human development for acquiring the technology and skills needed for Socialism. Instead, Marx's research into the natural sciences began to reveal a contradiction between the growth needed for Capitalism and the physical limitations of the environment. Combined with the fact that Marx had a growing interest in communal societies like the mir of Russia, the people of ancient Rome, and the indigenous Iroquois of North America, Saitō concludes that Marx's ideas were evolving into a philosophy of "degrowth communism."

The controversy around "degrowth communism" falls into two camps: whether Marx was really "degrowth" and whether "degrowth" is a viable political solution.

Starting with the first, while I agree that the criticism levied against Saitō is fair—the evidence for Marx having a fully fleshed-out theory for degrowth is pretty shaky—I think it's also true that Marx would have had to eventually confront the physical limitations of the biosphere. Whether we label it Marx's own ideas or a modern extension of Marxism is, in my view, a less important secondary question.

The more important question is whether "degrowth" is a viable alternative. In my view, this debate is heavily mired by the fact that Saitō doesn't put forward a clear definition of "degrowth" in this book. On page 176, he writes:

Unlimited economic growth is not necessary to the realization of this "superior form" of communal society. Neither is an endless rise in productivity levels. That's why I refer to the form of communism Marx conceived of near the end of his life as "degrowth communism."

If "degrowth" is simply the idea that unlimited economic growth is unnecessary for the realization of Socialism, then it becomes much less controversial. But this is also a much less interesting thesis. Saitō also writes:

The form of richness Marx sought during his research into the Russian mir can't be measured by looking at the GDP or the sum total of individually held assets. How can the GDP measure happiness, or the cleanliness of drinking water?

Alternatively, if "degrowth" is simply a critique of GDP as an imperfect measure for quality of life, it would also find very few critics within progressive circles. Even among orthodox economists, it has become conventional wisdom that there are obvious problems with GDP. The question is no longer, is GDP a good measure? But rather, what political forces are required to force governments to adopt a more holistic and equitable measure for well-being, and how can they be held accountable to implement solutions that will inevitably conflict with the goals of capital (e.g. reducing length of workweek, increasing minimum wage, funding public housing, etc.)?

Saitō does give some examples of what implementing "degrowth communism" would look like. On page 191, he writes:

Jobs that generate no use-value in themselves, like those in marketing, advertising, and consultancy, would eventually wither away.

The remaining labor could be performed through work sharing, thereby reducing the length of the workday and increasing general free time.

Technology... rather than being used to create unnecessary commodities... could be utilized to shorten the workday, equalize skill levels, and remove strict hierarchies in the workplace.

I read this as a rather level-headed vision for the future. The biggest problem with our economy is that utility (use-value) and price (exchange-value) have drifted further apart, but because we can only measure the latter we prioritize it at the expense of the former.

This is what led Jeff Hammerbacher to say, in 2011, that "the best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads". By getting rid of jobs that don't improve humanity's overall well-being, redistributing that labour accordingly, and combining that with the gains in productivity realized over the last century, we could meet everyone's basic needs—housing, food, healthcare, education—with fewer and fewer labour hours. This gives everyone back time to pursue that which gives their life real meaning and purpose without the anxiety of losing their homes or not having enough food to eat. Note that while Saitō's vision of degrowth does claim to reduce consumption in the Global North, it does not claim that we stop investing in new technologies, nor does it suggest that reducing consumption of superfluous goods would lead to a decline in standard of living. Some critics also claim that "degrowth" requires top-down suppression of consumption, but Saitō doesn't state this explicitly, and in fact, seems to suggest the opposite when he criticizes proponents of other movements.

Saitō states that policies like Piketty's tax reforms, universal basic income, and modern monetary theory suffer from not having a good answer to a capital strike. In other words, while these proposals may have some merit, they will not be implemented, or cannot be implemented properly, unless we have strong, grassroots social movements that can hold our politicians and the capitalists accountable. On Piketty, he writes on page 156:

But it's just as obvious that capital would despise such a proposal and do everything in its power to thwart it. Just as in the case of BI [basic income], it's unclear from Piketty's proposal where the power to effect such a large-scale change would come from in the face of a capital strike.

The irony is he immediately follows up with a proposal to shorten the workweek, a movement that could also be co-opted by top-down policy and subject to capital strikes. Saitō confuses criticizing the destination with the path to getting there.

Ultimately, I found this book to be a really useful introduction to Marx's ideas in Capital. The language is accessible and many relatable examples are used to illustrate Marx's ideas. My biggest gripes with the book are that Saitō's vision for "degrowth" is not clear enough given how much time he spends justifying it. While he rightly argues that we need bottom-up social movements to enact real change, without going into more detail on the tactics of how to do this, he is just regurgitating common sense platitudes. And frankly, I don't really care whether Marx himself deserves credit or not for solving our environmental crisis. Lastly, the book doesn't get technical enough for someone interested in the actual economic details. From here, one can decide whether they'd like to move on to a more technical secondary source such as A People's Guide to Capitalism by Hadas Thier or An Introduction to the Three Volumes of Karl Marx's Capital by Michael Heinrich (which, fun fact, was translated into Japanese by Saitō).

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kōhei Saitō’s latest is a great framing of Marx’s work for the 21st century and those looking to dabble in views beyond your average Green New Deal. It might not have blinding optimism like Abundance (which I’ve admittedly never read but is oft mentioned to me), but maybe Saitō’s premise, mainly that Marx has provided us the tools we need to imagine life beyond global exploitation and endless consumption, is enough to attract the right folks to read this. By incorporating the latest research into Marx’s later thinking and writing on the environment and the finite nature of the world, Saitō breathes new life into Marx’s Capital and invites the reunification of leftist, green, communal, and anarchistic thinking toward a sustainable future for us all.

Thank you to #AstraHouse and #NetGalley for this ARC of #CapitalFromZero

More detailed review **with spoilers** below!!
______________________________________________________

Chapters 1 and 2 are introductions to some basic concepts on Marx but what I love about the framing is that Saitō does such a great job at weaving constant themes together across the book. So while the reader is learning or being primed for concepts like Enclosure as Privatization, the themes of nature, the natural world, and the byline that Marx has given us the clues to solve the ecological problems of our times are present and feel stylistically pleasant. The concept of use-value vs. value is a big one here in my opinion because it comes up later, in relation to the fairy tales of consumerism, as well as imagining a world post-capitalism (where use-value comes out on top). The second chapter does a great job of connecting all that concept stuff to our real lives we live today (or know of at least), again showcasing Saitō’s compelling ability to frame his argument so well. This is rounded out by the first of a few concrete calls Saitō makes throughout the text on how we could immediately change the world for the better and oppose the capitalist structure, by shortening the workday over raising wages. The idea is solid, it avoids the pitfall counterpoint to the “raised wages means raised prices” strategy but still gives more power to the worker by giving them back more of their time, which as he points out, gives the worker more time to envision how to resist capitalism. Although the average reader of this book is probably not the blue-collar worker that the author talks about so often in his examples, it is again a great framing tool to the audience that would read this.

In the third chapter, Saitō says the first two chapters have been about manipulation of the worker through commodity, and manipulation of the worker through the capitalist movement. This chapter will be about manipulation of the worker by machine or the modes of production. Saitō provides examples through time of capitalism repeatedly alienating the worker from the enjoyable aspects of their work. From the replacement of Guilds across Europe to streamlined Taylorism - the drive for profit and efficiency in the name of increased margins seems locked in contention with the fulfillment of the worker, the longevity of the work, and the community or association that give our work purpose.

The fourth chapter does a good job at pointing out the paradoxes that thrive in capitalism, and those inherent to the prevailing theories about how capitalism reformed some way can save us all, even as we continue to feel the increasingly devastating consequences of climate change brought on by the system itself. By pointing out that there are still millions of people in slave like conditions today, and connecting the theme of exploitation in the global south for the benefit of the global north to the view that capitalism thrives when suffering it causes is pushed out of sight, Saitō encourages us to remember that capitalism only runs one way, toward growth, while the natural world and nature are cyclical. This is a tenant of Saitō’s repeated claims about the obvious state of things and leads to the natural conclusion that the two things cannot be reconciled.


In the fifth chapter Saitō invites us to abandon the idea that communism looks like Soviet Russia or modern China. These are not real examples of sustainable communism or degrowth communism to Saito, but rather political capitalism or state controlled capitalism. While these states may or may not have delivered material benefits to people in the name of communism, they almost certainly operated within the overall capitalist system of the globe to do so. Before giving a final
nail in the coffin and providing a detailed breakdown of the limitations of the welfare state, which is arguably seen as the current remedy for societal inequality, Saitō does something interesting. He says that Marx was not actually on the side of state capitalism in his later life, favoring anti-reification or de-commodification instead. An example of this that he provides is that associations like unions and clubs have long provided mutual aid outside capitalism and existed before the nation state in its current form.

In the final chapter, Saitō connects his conceptualization of Marx as eco-conscious in his work criticizing capitalism to older examples of communal lifestyle, and how they might work in the modern era. By providing examples of life in decentralized and egalitarian life in antiquity, life around the era of industrialization, the short-lived Paris commune, and modern cities involved in a movement known as “municipalism”, the book is rounded out on a hopeful and pragmatic tone. It could leave a familiar reader of Marx with a deeper sense and faith of his work’s ability to sustain leftist conversations in the modern era, or bring green and eco forward folks who might not be as familiar with Marx as others into more politically theoretical realms.

[Toni Padilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessant. El japonès Kohei Saito llegeix de nou ‘El Capital’ i en fa una lectura nova i propera per intentar entendre com estem. D’acord amb algunes coses i en desacord altres cops, però el llibre et fa pensar

[Òscar Espinosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lectura més que recomanada per a iniciàtiques del marxisme i/o el capital.
Per a lectores amb certs coneixements, ressulta interesant i obre un debat amb l'autor i el seu punt de vista, ja que promou una visió actual, japonesa i debatible sobre certs àmbits propossats.

[mood_reading_maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ALC!

It is easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism." - Fredric Jameson

Kōhei Saitō is a real one. I thoroughly enjoyed this reframing and modern examination of Marx's Capital. As a casual reader of political and economic nonfiction, I do believe that a general familiarity with Marx's conceptual framework of the political economy will do wonders for readers eager to jump into this work. Books such as Confronting Capitalism by Vivek Chibber and Marx for Beginners by Rius are two titles that make the source material approachable for the casual economic student. Of course, one can read Capital or The Communist Manifesto, but that can feel like jumping into shark infested waters in a meat suit if you're new to political/economic theory: it feels like being eaten alive.

Saitō takes key concepts from Marx's Capital: worker well-being and autonomy, the commodification of labor, the reinterpretation of wealth as a collection of commodities, and how the capitalist system is by design extractive and harmful, and he uses modern examples to illustrate Marxist theory in practice. It's eye opening to realize that these observations and critiques first made by Marx over 150 years ago continue to hold deep significance. Covering a range of topics like artificial intelligence, overconsumption guided by our desire for immediate gratification, our modern disposability mindset, Saitō actively brings Marx into the modern era. By the 50% mark, I was interested in whether Saitō would address how Communism was functionally deployed in prominent political economies like China and Russia. In other words, "we've seen that Communism is the boogeyman and creates dictatorships, not democratic havens, rife with violent repression, hunger, and poverty." Indeed, this is an argument he tackles with intelligence and a bit of cheek. Hint: what ended up being deployed in places like China and Russia wasn't Communism - it was nationalized socialism in capitalist markets!

I personally found this refreshing and immensely smart. I was excited to listen to the audiobook, and it cemented my desire to get a physical copy for a second reading. Overall, Capitalism From Zero is approachable for the informed economics or political theory reader, even with it's occasional deviations into technicalities where necessary.

[Ambroise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le livre accomplit son objectif : vulgariser le Capital de Marx, tout en en faisant une lecture contemporaine pour nous aider à résoudre les grands défis du capitalisme moderne (désastre écologique, émergence du néolibéralisme et montée du fascisme etc…)

Un super livre pour comprendre les grandes idées marxistes sans avoir à lire les trois volumes de DAS KAPITAL, qui sont dissuasifs en tabarnak. Désolé Karl, j’arrive déjà pas à me concentrer plus de 15mn sur une tâche sans commencer à Doomscroll, je vais pas pouvoir lire 2000+ pages, même si je suis sûr que c’est très bien.

J’ai beaucoup aimé la description des processus de base du système capitaliste. Notamment la différence entre valeur d’usage et valeur ajouté, ou la réification qui finit par offrir aux objets un pouvoir sur les humains.

Sa différentiation entre la pensée marxiste, et les dérives amenées par les régimes communistes du XXème siècle (URSS, Chine) permet d’aller au delà des discours caricaturaux qu’on entend sur le socialisme/communisme. À gauche certains finissent par glazer des régimes dictatoriaux, qui relèvent du capitalisme d’État (cc Hasan Piker avec la Chine), et à droite on fait comme si le communisme mènerait forcément à la dictature, et on qualifie n’importe quelle idée un peu progressiste de radicale.

Son analyse des États providences est aussi intéressante. Les acquis sociaux obtenus par le peuple dans la rue (bottom up), finissent par être administrés par un gouvernement et une bureaucratie qui n’ont pas forcément le bien être du peuple comme souci premier (top down). On reste aussi dans un système capitaliste plus social, mais qui ne peut que fonctionner en exploitant le Sud global, ses populations et la planète. Ce qui n’est bien sûr pas soutenable.

Finalement, les passages sur la commune de Paris et les Mir de Russie permettent de réfléchir à ce qu’on pourrait faire pour aller vers une société plus égalitaire, sans concentration de pouvoir et d’exploitation d’élites capitalistes ou gouvernementales. Vu ce qu’il se passe en France en ce moment, on aura peut-être bientôt droit à une Commune 2 Paris !

La conclusion m’a un peu moins convaincu, ça ressemble un peu à la fin typique d’essai de gauche, ou l’on se projette avec des idées inspirantes d’utopie socialiste. Chouette mais un peu redondant. En même temps, c’est difficile de conclure ce genre de livre.

[Eliza's Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kohei Saito explains in a very accessible way the thoughts and views of Karl Marx. I have always been intimidated to read Marx’s Capital but after reading Capital from Zero, I feel like I have a good basic foundational understanding for the ideology of Marxism. Saito brought the concept’s of Marx into the 21st century by using his writing’s to show how Marx’s views evolved and then compared them to events in today’s world. The no-nonsense approach helped me realize the positions of Marx and other philosophers regarding capitalism are really not so extreme if at all. Who can argue that our wold is hurting because of the constant need to deregulate so corporations can keep growing beyond the necessary means. Most everything discussed seems so obvious as it is explained. For one, capitalism’s number one goal is making money and having it grow continuously. So there is no way the health of the environment would ever take precedent over what is best for the shareholders even if that means worsening of environmental factors.

One thing that Saito brought up that I had never even thought of was the idea that capitalism and the need to be efficient with your time leads to more service industries like Uber Eats and Instacart to pop up. Which in turn, since your time is worth more working, volunteering for things like PTA, local festivals, or even helping family and friends become a thing of the past. Communities are no longer a thing because everyone is just trying to work enough to pay for the bills that are necessary to survive. It is not sustainable. In a capitalistic society no one’s basic needs are guaranteed. As Marx says, workers are always facing the risk of being potentially poor.

Capital from Zero was an enlightening read that was very thought-provoking. Marx’s views will not fix everything but I feel his ideas and thoughts could be useful in solving a lot of economic and social problems. If nothing else, this book helps to highlight when people mislabel what Marxism represents.

Thank you, Kohei Saito and Astra Publishing House for providing this e-ARC via NetGalley for review.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Astra for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Kohei Saito’s Capital From Zero: Reading Marx in the Age of Climate Catastrophe is both timely and accessible. Though designed at its core as an introduction to Marx in an effort to make his work more approachable, this volume is valuable for readers with varied purpose, current stance on political theory, or familiarity with Marx. For those wanting to understand some of the terms being thrown around in political debates — such as capitalism, socialism, communism, neoliberalism, association etc. — Saito breaks down these concepts in layman’s terms. He thoughtfully outlines the viewpoints of not only Marx, but other important philosophers as well. This allows the reader to confidently participate in future discussions in a more knowledgable way, come to their own decisions whether they ascribe to some of the negative connotations attached to some of these terms, and whether some of the ideas may be a path forward, either in piece or in whole. It is a compelling standalone read for anyone just beginning to contemplate an option other than capitalism, as well as an excellent springboard for those planning to read Marx’s work.

Read more of my book reviews here...
https://fortandfield.blogspot.com/202...

[Ýsvar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accurate criticism of capitalsm but thats about it, and given those ideas are already popular and in public's conciousness it doesnt hold much value. Othewise it's quite narrow minded and dodges how modern supply chains work in a digital, globalized world, when your entire solution is "local commons" and neighborhood assemblies, how do you manufacture semiconductors? He says he's not anti tech privitivists, but that's that. Modern world depends on cooperation of dozens of countries at the time for technologies and services we use everyday. You can't keep the fruits of advanced technology while blowing up the global logistics that actually produce them. And how do you scale it global anyway? You can't get 195 countries on carbon targets, let alone convince entire planet to abandon GDP growth and consumerism. And if a single country tries this alone, what’s the play? All your skilled engineers, doctors, and capital will just move to a country that still offers modern goods and high living standards, do u stop them from leaving? make korea v2 to stop them? How does that improve lives?

Interesting philosophy but without blueprints Im kinda fed up with the thinkers and merchants of hope fantasizing about a 'should be world'.

[Hallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. Kōhei Saitō simplifies Marx's Capital and also corrects the historical record on some of Marx's thinking with the benefit of some of his newly-available unpublished writings. It really is astonishing how prescient Marx appeared to be back then, looking at where we are now. Saitō also explains where the purported "communism" of the Soviet Union and China went wrong, and why those failures should not be enough to consign communist/socialist thought to the dustbin of history, especially as we face a future of climate uncertainty. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Netgalley and Astra provided me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Molt bàsic, que no es pas una crítica, és diu "capital des de zero" per alguna raó. Però tot i així, em sembla massa simplificat. El principi va bé per apropar-se a la terminologia i relacionar-la amb el dia a dia. La segona part on critica altres potències comunistes històriques és de les argumentacions més febles que he llegit en molt temps. I no és per falta de coses a criticar, però Saito no ha estat gaire encertat. Vull pensar que és culpa d'una intenció de simplificar massa i no pas de la seua capacitat d'argumentació. Si ja n'has estat introduït a la teoria marxista, aquest llibre no és per tu (nosaltres).

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to netgally and the publisher for an advanced audio book copy of this book.

I've had a copy of Capital sitting on my shelf for years and I have been too timid to read it, but after reading this book I feel that I can definitely give it a try.

The author breaks down several of the topics discussed in the first volume of Capital by Marx and interpreted his understanding of what Marx ment in modern day terms while still relating it to the events of the past. I will definitely be reading the authors previous book on this subject and I recommend you read both as well.

[Patricia Bello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance copy!

I’ll be listening to this book again. It expands my knowledge of Marx and Marxism, which is woefully inadequate. For example,
I didn’t know that Marx was looking at environmental effects of capitalism already, well before the concerns of sustainability became as loud as it is now. Eco socialism, though not coined by Marx himself, is based off Marx’s ideas of the relationship between capitalism and nature.

The narrator made it very easy to listen to this book and it is rather short for such a topic.

As an introduction to Marx’s famous Capital, this would whet your appetite to dive in deeper into Marx’s works and socialism. It did mine.

[Ricard Castellà · Rating 5 out of 5]

M'ha agradat moltíssim. Explica de forma superplanera i entenedora els conceptes bàsics de l'obra de Marx i en dóna una visió molt actualitzada i amb molts exemples. També ho vincula amb propostes sobre com hauria de ser una societat futura que tingui en compte tot el que es menciona a el capital i, tot i que hi ha coses que s'haurien de debatre i que potser no hi estic del tot d'acord, dona molt per pensar.

[Venneh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic, thorough explainer of Marx's Capitalism in our current capitalistic and climate nightmare hellscape, and actually takes a look into going beyond just the text and what Marx was looking into when he passed, and how it plays into our current world and what's going on in it. Highly recommended read.

[Maricruz Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Astra House for this ARC.

Capital From Zero is part reading guide, part reinterpretation of Marx's Capital, and part introduction to the concept of degrowth. Kohei Saito takes ideas that can often feel intimidating or inaccessible and presents them in a way that feels surprisingly approachable.

I was excited to read this one, and thankfully it lived up to my expectations. One of the things I appreciated most was Saito's willingness to challenge some of the common assumptions people have about Marx and his beliefs. So much public discussion tends to revolve around The Communist Manifesto, while Capital often gets overlooked, and Saito does a great job explaining why that matters.

The writing is clear, engaging, and refreshingly free of excessive jargon. Economics and political theory books can sometimes feel tough to get through, but that wasn't the case here. I especially appreciated how Saito frequently stepped away from Marx's text to provide historical context and real-world examples. Those moments helped ground the material and made it much easier to follow.

I think this would work well for readers who have always been curious about Capital but felt intimidated by it, as well as those looking for a refresher on Marx's ideas. It also serves as a solid introduction to degrowth for anyone interested in learning more about the concept.

[Julian Pritchard · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is just wacky. Some parts of it are good but simple but some of the conclusions he reaches are just strange.

[Jeff Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good starting point for ppl trying to understand Marx’s Capital, would appreciate it more if there’s more citations to economic studies backing up some of the arguments

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! Having previously read Kōhei Saitō's other book, the Degrowth Manifesto, I was excited to read this. And I was right to be! Kōhei corrects many popular misconceptions around Marx's ideological beliefs. So much comes from the Communist Manifesto, and very little from Capital, at which point many of his beliefs had changed to some degree or other. The biggest change to me seems to be a belief that taking over the state is not the answer, as it more than likely produces state capitalism rather than a true socialist or communist society. Instead, what is needed is unions, community engagement, people/labor power making decisions about production. The second piece is Marx's highlighting of our need to balance necessary production and consumption with nature's metabolic rate. Today that understanding rings true even more as we deal with climate change. Overall, a fantastic read!

[Javi U · Rating 5 out of 5]

ElCapitalDesdeCero, de KoheiSaito es un libro que te acerca a #ElCapital de #KarlMarx haciéndonos comprenderlo vigente que aún hoy en día está la obra del pensador alemán. Te acompaña a reflexionar sobre el sistema capitalista en el que estamos viviendo hoy en día y lo poco due se han mejorado las condiciones laborales en el último siglo. Con todos los avances y supuestas mejoras que ha habido y los atados que continuamos al trabajo para continuar siendo más y más productivos para unas empresas que únicamente buscan un mayor beneficio para ellas y ninguno para sus empleados. Buscadlo, leedlo y pensad sobre todo a lo que continuamos atados y no nos aporta nada ni a nosotros ni a nuestras comunidades.

#Socialismo #Comunismo #Marxismo #LecturasDeAbril2026

[Madison ✨ (mad.lyreading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Marx in grad school (a freaking decade ago somehow), and while this is technically meant to be an introduction to Capital, I still feel like I got a lot out of it. Saito's writing is very clear, and I feel like I got a lot more out of Marx than I did when I was actually being taught it. While the subtitle says this is about Marx "in the Age of Climate Change," I didn't feel like there was enough of a focus on that to deserve the subtitle. Regardless, I highly recommend this for anyone interested in understanding the concepts of Marx. And while the content is somewhat complicated, this is not a book that is too dense to be read in audio format.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.