In the early 1990s I lived in a very posh part of London called Highgate. Just down the road from my flat was one of the most famous cemeteries in the world, which contains the graves of some very important people, including perhaps the most influential philosopher of the last 150 years - Karl Marx. Karl Marx (1818 -1883) was a German-born philosopher, political theorist, economist, historian, sociologist, and journalist, best-known for the 1848 pamphlet The Communist Manifesto (written with Friedrich Engels) and the three-volume Das Kapital. Marx's ideas and their subsequent development, have had massive influence on modern economic and political history. I remember as a child avidly reading The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, and some of these works still influence my political views today. Am I a Communist? OF COURSE NOT!! The overall concept of Marxism is completely discredited by most sensible people. BUT despite this, I believe that some of what Marx wrote was extremely important to modern day philosophy and politics. SOME of what he said was absolutely right!! With someone like Karl Marx, you have to choose the good bits, and discard the rest. And surprisingly, there are a lot of good bits within the works of Marx - even for people who reject Marxism and do not have left wing politics. Here are my 10 favourite quotes by Karl Marx. “Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form.” “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.” “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” “Workers of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains.” “Social progress can be measured by the social position of the female sex.” “Necessity is blind until it becomes conscious. Freedom is the consciousness of necessity." “The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.” “Follow your own path, no matter what people say.” And my favourite quote by Karl Marx: “Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.” © 2024 Darren Bugg To see hundreds more articles click here to visit our archive

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