Marx and Wittgenstein

At first sight, Karl Marx and Ludwig Wittgenstein may well seem to be as different from each other as it is possible for the ideas of two major intellectuals to be. Despite this standard conception, however, a small number of scholars have long suggested that there are deeper philosophical commonalities between Marx and Wittgenstein. They have argued that, once grasped, these commonalities can radically change and enrich understanding both of Marxism and of Wittgensteinian philosophy. This book develops and extends this unorthodox view, emphasising the mutual enrichment that comes from bringing Marx's and Wittgenstein's ideas into dialogue with one another. The contributors to this book are leading-scholars drawn from sociology, politics, economics and philosophy. They focus on areas including: * The role of the Marxist economist Sraffa on Wittgenstein's philosophical development l * The 'conventional' image of Wittgenstein's significance for Marxist social science, as perpetrated by Winch and Gellner l * The philosophical anthropology of Marx and Wittgenstein * The ethical and political status of Marxist knowledge-claims in the light of Wittgenstein's philosophy. Essential reading for all scholars and philosophers interested in the Marxist philosophy and the philosophy of Wittgenstein, this book will also be of vital interest to those studying and researching in the fields of social philosophy, political philosophy, philosophy of social science and political economy.