A systematic, critical examination of Karl Marx's social theories and their philosophical presuppositions. Through extensive discussions of the texts Jon Elster offers a balanced and detailed account of Marx's views that is at once sympathetic, undogmatic and rigorous. Equally importantly he tries to assess 'what is living and what is dead in the philosophy of Marx', using the analytical resources of contemporary social science and philosophy. Professor Elster insists on the need for microfoundations in social science and provides a systematic criticism of functionalism and teleological thinking in Marx. He argues that Marx's economic theories are largely wrong or irrelevant; historical materialism is seen to have only limited plausibility (and is not even consistently applied by Marx); Marx's most lasting achievements are the criticism of capitalism in terms of alienation and exploitation and the theory of class struggle, politics and ideology under capitalism, though in these areas too Elster enters substantial qualifications. The book should take its place as the most comprehensive and sophisticated modern study available.

喬恩·埃爾斯特是著名哲學傢和“分析馬剋思主義”流派的重要代錶之一。他於1968年考入巴黎高等師範學院，師從著名學者雷濛·阿隆，1971年獲哲學博士學位。著有《萊布尼茨和資本主義精神的形成》、《邏輯與社會》、《尤利西斯與塞壬》、《酸葡萄》以及《解釋的技術變革》