The General Will: Rousseau, Marx, Communism

by Andrew Levine

This bold and unabashedly utopian book advances the thesis that Marx's notion of communism is a defensible, normative ideal. However, unlike many others who have written in this area, Levine applies the tools and techniques of analytic philosophy to formulate and defend his radical, political program. The argument proceeds by filtering the ideals and institutions of Marxism through Rousseau's notion of the "general will." Once Rousseau's ideas are properly understood it is possible to construct a community of equals who share some vision of a common good that can be achieved and maintained through cooperation or coordination that is at once both voluntary and authoritative. The book engages with liberal theory in order to establish its differences from Rousseauean-Marxian political theory. This provocative book will be of particular interest to political philosophers and political scientists concerned with Marxism, socialist theory, and democratic theory.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 1993

Reviews

[Feliks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robust; authoritative. But a little on the dry and technical side. Perhaps understandable ...the need for tightly controlled academia with regard to such potentially volatile material. I was kinda hoping for some more excitement in these inherently exciting ideas. I was left wanting.

This is a good resource to keep one's shelf for only the most esoteric historical-political debates; but the nearly scientific style of dissection won't inspire revolutionary fervor in anyone.

Such passion is what I went hunting for in these pages; I like to daydream that such fervor is exactly what we need these days; but I doubt we'll be imbued with any soon. It's a politically-dead, politically-stagnant age we're in now. A society completely disintegrated and incapable of unity in spirit or action ...has no need for a book like this. It will become an extinct digital file at some point and be forgotten forever.

[Hassan Zayour · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I appreciate about this book is that it gave me some sort of deeper understanding of some concepts I was facing some trouble with. I didn't really like the thesis, however, I do appreciate the author's effort, and I would definitely think of a revisit of this book.

[Melanie Renaudin]

anyone else in this club lamenting the fall of the berlin wall