For each essay you are to pick one of the questions/topics
and write a 5 page essay, double-spaced and typed. Please make sure to read the
question/topic carefully, and deal with all of the issues asked of you. If you
need some help, please contact me via e-mail. Good luck!
1) One could argue that Marx’s discussion of the condition of alienation within
capitalism in his early works is still relevant to our experiences today. Write an essay
that critically analyzes Marx’s notion of alienation, making sure to deal with the
following questions at some point: How does Marx characterize alienation under
capitalism? In what way does it make sense of our economic life today? In what
way, if at all, should it be revamped and rethought to take into consideration new
developments within capitalism?
2) As we know, Marx was not just a utopian writer who thought that communism would
arise by the moral force of its ideal. He really assumed that the laws of history were
moving toward this goal. Write an essay in which you critically discuss his theory of
history, and how he saw that capitalism was going to be transformed into communism:
Which facet of human life has conceptual priority for Marx? For Marx, how does
historical transformation occur? What would be the sequence of events leading toward
communism? What, if anything, is wrong with Marx’s characterization, and why?
3) If anything, Marx’s brilliance lies in his incisive analysis of dynamics of capitalism.
Write an essay in which you clearly articulate how Marx saw the nature of capitalism:
what is the defining feature(s) of capitalism for Marx? What is a commodity? How does
he determine the nature of exploitation? Does Marx’s characterization make sense of
today’s economic situation, and why?
4) Obviously, with the crumbling of the Berlin wall, many have argued that Marx’s theory
is fundamentally irrelevant to our contemporary condition. Write an essay that critically
evaluates the relevance of Marx’s thought for the 21st century. What are the important
features to Marx’s theory? What is still relevant about Marx’s thought? What is not
relevant to today’s conditions? How might one tweak Marx’s theory to make it more
relevant?
