SH31 Marxism & Anarchism
Both Marxists and anarchists argue for a radical overturning of the prevailing liberal order to produce a fairer and freer society, and there is often common philosophical and political ground between them. But there has been a great deal of disagreement and animosity between Marxist and anarchist thinkers more or less since the word go: indeed, one of Marx’s earliest political texts is essentially an attack on the anarchist Proudhon. This course traces the development of Marxist and anarchist thought, and the similarities and the differences between them, with particular focus on the related but distinct concepts of freedom and justice at play in the theories; how they analyse the problems of capitalism and liberalism; and what they have to say about non-capitalist and non-statist social organisation.
Course lecturer: Dr James Humphries
Semester: 2
Lecture hour & venue: see Honours timetable
Teaching resources for this course will be made available on the Philosophy Moodle site.