Marx and Whitehead
Process, Dialectics, and the Critique of Capitalism
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A reading of Marx's critique of capitalism through the lens of process philosophy.
Description
Marx and Whitehead boldly asks us to reconsider capitalism, not merely as an "economic system" but as a fundamentally self-destructive mode that, by its very nature and operation, undermines the cohesive fabric of human existence. Author Anne Fairchild Pomeroy asserts that it is impossible to appreciate fully the impact of Marx's critique of capitalism without understanding the philosophical system that underlies it. Alfred North Whitehead's work is used to forge a systematic link between process philosophy and dialectical materialism via the category of production. Whitehead's process thought brings Marx's philosophical vision into sharper focus. This union provides the grounds for Pomeroy's claim that the heart of Marx's critique of capitalism is fundamentally ontological, and that therefore the necessary condition for genuine human flourishing lies in overcoming the capitalist form of social relations.
Anne Fairchild Pomeroy is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Richard Stockton College.
Reviews
"…a timely and accessible tool in our conceptual and actual dismantlement of an inhuman economic system via the illuminating intersection of the philosophies of Marx and Whitehead. " — DIALOGUE
"…Pomeroy successfully deploys Whitehead's work to sustain Marx's texts against charges of determinism or overly strict materialism, and to describe how both manage to overcome the society/nature dichotomy. " — Radical Philosophy
"Pomeroy's linking of Marx and Whitehead is a bold move that dramatically enhances our understanding of both thinkers. It is a connection rarely attempted by Marxists or Whiteheadians, and never before in such a sustained and detailed manner. " — George Allan, author of The Patterns of the Present: Interpreting the Authority of Form