Overview

The objective of this book is to construct an individually emancipatory economic and political philosophy. This means a concrete-based, man-centered, non-hypostatizing, anti-dialectical approach to the apprehension of the material, i.e. nature in general. This constitutes an emancipation from culture-based understandings of reality, and in particular from the metaphysically biased type of culture represented by capitalism. The proposed philosophical emancipation means individual liberation from the logically flawed, massifying character of the dominant mode of thought of capitalist times. From these bases, the social sciences can also be reformulated. Micocci argues that capitalism can be conceptualized as a limited and limiting socialized mode of thought, an intellectuality whose dialectical features are effectively identified by using the proxy of political economy, both marxist and mainstream. Political economy in fact, being a most representative instance of dialectical thinking, mirrors the dialectical nature of capitalist economic and political relationships. According to Micocci, non-dialectical occurrences in capitalism are simply excluded from normal social, economic, and intellectual activities, which are performed in a metaphysical, intellectually isolated environment. In capitalism, therefore, the materials, the concrete, i.e. nature itself, is not considered as a whole but only as occasional instances. Micocci describes capitalism, in sum, as an intellectually constructed culture (a metaphysics) which preserves itself, and props itself up, by means of its iterative (market-like) functioning.

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9780739128374

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Reviews

A strikingly new analysis of our economic and social system and its means of functioning brings the author to the very core of it, claiming that the whole structure of our society is nothing else but a flawed, dialectical intellectual mode. Following this controversial line of thought we come to realize that we are living in a sort of 'Matrix' world, filled with imaginary free markets and non-existent liberalisms. Andrea Micocci manages to use his deep knowledge of various subjects and vast erudition skillfully: instead of making them a burden on the reader, he uses them to create the needed suspense, pushing us to devour page after page. The Metaphysics of Capitalism is undoubtedly a timely book. -- Mino Vianello, University of Rome Brief synopsis of book and quick biography of authorrrrr Journal of Economic Literature, December, 2009 Andrea Micocci reinterprets materialist philosophy and Marxist critique of political economy in a provocative synthesis that commands the most serious attention from anyone worried about the increasingly disastrous world capitalism has made. -- Alex Callinicos, King's College London Brief synopsis of book and quick biography of author Journal of Economic Literature, December, 2009

A strikingly new analysis of our economic and social system and its means of functioning brings the author to the very core of it, claiming that the whole structure of our society is nothing else but a flawed, dialectical intellectual mode. Following this controversial line of thought we come to realize that we are living in a sort of 'Matrix' world, filled with imaginary free markets and non-existent liberalisms. Andrea Micocci manages to use his deep knowledge of various subjects and vast erudition skillfully: instead of making them a burden on the reader, he uses them to create the needed suspense, pushing us to devour page after page. The Metaphysics of Capitalism is undoubtedly a timely book.--Mino Vianello

Author Information

Andrea Micocci is professor of economics at University of Malta Link Campus.

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