Reading Marx

On Transcendental Materialism

Schurmann Reiner

In this book, Reiner Schurmann argues that what is most original about Marx is his philosophical axis. Extending his highly original engagement with the history of philosophy, Schurmann draws out this axis, which determines and localizes his theories of history, social relations, and economy. Whereas Marxist readings of Marx conceive history, classes, and social relations as primary realities, Schurmann brings out a radically immanent understanding of praxis that introduces multiplicity. This edition is complemented by a reprinting of Schurmann's Anti-Humanism essay, in which he reads Marx alongside Nietzsche and Heidegger as spelling out the dissociation of being and action. Reading Marx showcases underappreciated facets of Schurmann's work and offers an interpretation of Marx that resonates with the readings of Jacques Derrida, Michel Henry, Antonio Negri, and Francois Laruelle.

About the Author

Reiner Schurmann (1941-93) was a German philosopher. He was born in Amsterdam and lived in Germany, Israel, and France before immigrating to the United States in the 1970s, where he was professor and director of the Department of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York. He is the author of three books on philosophy: "Heidegger on Being and Acting", "Wandering Joy", and "Broken Hegemonies". Origins is his only work of fiction. He never wrote nor published in his native German.

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