Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 13:05:19 -0700 (MST) From: Martha Gimenez <gimenez at csf.colorado.edu> To: PROGRESSIVE SOCIOLOGISTS NETWORK <psn at csf.colorado.edu> Subject: Announcing book on Marxism and Human Nature
Dear PSNers,
It is with great pleasure that I forward information about a new book by Sean Sayers. Sean is an insightful and original philosopher from whose work I have learned a great deal through the years. I particularly like his book Reality & Reason. Dialectic and the Theory of Knowledge (Blackwell, 1985) which, because of its clarity of exposition, I found inmensely useful for teaching graduate students about the dialectics. Routledge is publishing Marxism and Human Nature as a "research monograph," meaning it will be expensive and will get little publicity. This is a shame, considering Sean has worked on this book for 10 years. It is up to us to make this work available to our students; do request your libraries to purchase it.
in solidarity,
Martha
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NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
Marxism and Human Nature Sean Sayers, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK ===============================================
"Sayers's book is an articulate, sophisticated and clear
discussion of human nature as a historical phenomenon. It
is beautifully written and has insights into a rich range
of topics from the role of work in contemporary society
to the ambivalent nature of social progress. Anyone
interested in sociology, politics and philosophy of our
society will find this book thought-provoking and
fruitful."
Professor David McLellan, University of Kent
Is there such a thing as human nature? In Marxism and Human Nature, Sean Sayers defends the controversial theory that human nature is in fact an historical phenomenon. Those who disagree with this theory counter that it leads to forms of scepticism and relativism which are at odds with morality; Sayers reveals that this need not be the case. Drawing on the work of Marx and Hegel, he develops a historical account of human needs and powers which provides the basis for a distinctive form of Marxist humanism. According to this view, human beings are not merely passive individual consumers: they are active, social and productive beings. The first half of the book explores the essential role work plays in our lives and how it contributes to our fulfilment. The moral and social implications of these ideas are analysed in the second half in the context of current work by both analytic and postmodernist thinkers. Marxism and Human Nature gives an ambitious and wide ranging defence of the Marxist and Hegelian historical approach. In the process, the book engages with a wide range of work at the heart of the contemporary debate in social and moral philosophy. Clearly and engagingly written, Marxism and Human Nature will illuminate the debate for anyone engaged in politics or philosophy. It will of course be especially relevant for researchers studying Marx, Hegel or Gorz.
Publication Details:
Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought 16 November 1998: 216x138: 216pp Hb: 0-415-19147-5: ú45.00
Internet sites: Routledge: www.routledge.com Sean Sayers: http://www.ukc.ac.uk/secl/philosophy/staff/ss.html
e-mail: S.P.Sayers at ukc.ac.uk