LARTS 331 — Marx as Philosopher

3 credits
Spring
Aaron Jaffe

Prerequisite: LARTS 112 . Karl Marx is more commonly approached as an economist, sociologist, or political theorist than as a philosopher. This class will explore the proverbial road less traveled by delving into the original philosophical positions offered by Marx. Students will be introduced to Marx’s philosophy of history and ground-breaking conception of philosophical anthropology; his materialist critique of idealism and normative social and political philosophy; his theory of revolution; and, finally, his intriguing stance on the very limits of philosophy itself. The goal of the course is to examine Marx’s ideas, and the results of his frequently contentious exchanges with other thinkers and writers, in order to tease out the possible internal consistency, social applicability, and limits of Marx’s philosophy.