Relevance of Marxism By Randeep Wadehra

The ethical dimensions of Marxist thought by Cornel West

Aakar Books, N. Delhi. Pages: xxxiv+183. Price: Rs. 225/-.

Karl Marx’s Manifest der kommunistischen Partei (The Communist Manifesto) – published in 1848 – and three volumes of Das Kapital (first volume published in 1867 and remaining two posthumously) form the underpinnings of an ideology which influenced socialist and communist movements globally. The disintegration of Soviet Union has been generally interpreted as failure of leftist ideology. The ‘triumph’ of capitalism has not really led to the end of all ideological debate however. The subaltern discourse – of which this tome is an important part – continues, involving not only African-Americans but also large swathes of populace in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Cornel West has strongly advocated reinterpretation of Marxist rubric with emphasis on its hitherto ignored ethical keystone. In fact the author, a Professor of religion and director of Afro-American studies at Princeton University, adopts a multi-disciplinary approach involving theology and philosophy, among others, in his attempt to show that ethics was an integral part of the development of Marx’s own thinking throughout his career. Although West holds “influential interpreters” like Engels, Kautsky and others responsible for “obscuring” Marx’s ethical concerns, the fact remains that his complex writings have been open to more than one interpretation. If the Kautsky school of thought failed to appreciate his moral concerns then Lenin added the theories of state and imperialism, along with the principles of revolutionary organization, to the Marxist canon, thus introducing totalitarian concepts.

While giving a ‘Christian Black African-American’ perspective to the post-Soviet Union Marxism, this dissertation, originally written about a decade back, becomes all the more relevant to the contemporary scenario obtaining in the United States hit by recession and recent Wall Street disaster. West’s longish autobiographical introduction is absorbing as it tells us of his own evolution as a thinker. Wannabe philosophers and political scientists may like to read it.