A social analysis of capitalism. Nature and logic of social systems and capitalism.

A social analysis of capitalism. Nature and logic of social systems and capitalism.

The capitalist market, progressives bemoan, is a cold monster: it disrupts social bonds, erodes emotional attachments, and imposes an abstract utilitarian rationality. But what if such hallowed critiques are completely misleading? This book argues that the production of new sources of faith and enchantment is crucial to the dynamics of the capitalist economy. Distinctively secular patterns of attraction and attachment give modern institutions a binding force that was not available to more traditional forms of rule. Elaborating his alternative approach through an engagement with the semiotics of money and the genealogy of economy, Martijn Konings uncovers capitalism's emotional and theological content in order to understand the paradoxical sources of cohesion and legitimacy that it commands. In developing this perspective, he draws on pragmatist thought to rework and revitalize the Marxist critique of capitalism.

This book argues that we are undergoing a transition from industrial capitalism to a new form of capitalism - what the author calls & lsquo; cognitive capitalism & rsquo;

An accessible, rigorous presentation of Marx's argument in the three volumes of Capital and of longstanding debates in Marxist economics.

How information technology has replaced the work culture of paternalism and standardization with one of isolation and insecurity.

Reflecting on the end of communism, the author of the best-selling The Worldly Philosophers examines the many faces of capitalism, looking for the aspects of a market economy that will be most capable of succeeding against today's toughest dilemmas.