Karl Marx

by Raymond Aron

A reflexão de Raymond Aron sobre o pensamento de Karl Marx continua a ser considerada por muitos como a mais rigorosa e perspicaz. Integrada na obra Etapas do Pensamento Sociológico - publicado originalmente em 1967 -, Karl Marx oferece chaves de interpretação do marxismo que surpreendem pela sua pertinência e atualidade.

189 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

About the author

Raymond-Claude-Ferdinand Aron (French: [ʁɛmɔ̃ aʁɔ̃]; 14 March 1905 – 17 October 1983) was a French philosopher, sociologist, journalist, and political scientist.
He is best known for his 1955 book The Opium of the Intellectuals, the title of which inverts Karl Marx's claim that religion was the opium of the people – Aron argues that in post-war France, Marxism was the opium of intellectuals. In the book, Aron chastised French intellectuals for what he described as their harsh criticism of capitalism and democracy and their simultaneous defense of Marxist oppression, atrocities, and intolerance. Critic Roger Kimball[2] suggests that Opium is "a seminal book of the twentieth century." Aron is also known for his lifelong friendship, sometimes fractious, with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.[3]
He is also known for his 1973 book, The Imperial Republic: The United States and the World 1945-1973, which influenced Zbigniew Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger, among others.
Aron wrote extensively on a wide range of other topics. Citing the breadth and quality of Aron's writings, historian James R. Garland[4] suggests, "Though he may be little known in America, Raymond Aron arguably stood as the preeminent example of French intellectualism for much of the twentieth century."

Reviews

[gabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say that I didn't enjoy the portuguese translation I have read, so this probably had impact in my reading of this book - which is, actually, not a book, but I'll explain it right away. I understood that there were some mistakes and metaphors that the translator failed to grasp and Aron's writing felt dryer than it actually is in french, Aron's native language. First, the strangeness lies in the fact that "Karl Marx" is a part of Raymond Aron's book "Main Currents in Sociological Thought" and the portuguese publisher decided to divide this chapter from the book and publish it alone. The cover and the way the book is promoted almost promises an autobiography about Marx, the man, but these few pages are far from that. Aron's aim is to point out some essential aspects of marxism and discussing them, but his thought - or, at least, the translation, because, unfortunately, I haven't read the original version - is often messy. The author seems unable to produce a synthesis of his analysis, forgetting about some topics that he had mentioned before; neither he seems worried about that, forging a narrative that seems to me full of ego, except for one or two key moments when Aron refutes himself. If you're a proud marxist, my advice is that you read Aron's work as soon as possible, because it will provide you grounds to question whether Aron is aware that he is biased or not.

[rafaela]

Terminado de ler no dia do trabalhador, como Karl Marx quereria.

[Mafalda · Rating 4 out of 5]

leitura #2

uma clara explicação das teorias de marx. alguns temas exigem algum conforto com a economia e a sociologia, mas no geral é acessível