The Theory of Need in Marx TR by Agnes Heller

Product Details

• Publisher: Verso (2018-04-17)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 144 pages
• ISBN-13: 9781786636126
• Item Weight: 167.83 grams
• Dimensions: 19.81 x 12.95 x 1.27 cm

The first full presentation of a fundamental aspect of Marx, the concept of need

What are needs? While the edifices of economic theory are built upon various mechanisms designed to satisfy “human needs,” not many economists have addressed the idea of need itself. Heller’s highly original work identifies this lacuna, recognizing the concept of needs as playing a “hidden but principal role in Marx’s economic categories.” Her writing lucidly exposes radical needs as bearing the seeds of revolutionary agency in alienated capitalist society, and reasserts our existence as sentient beings beyond the realm of the material, productive spheres.

About the Author

Born in Budapest in 1929, Agnes Heller was Professor Emerita of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York City. A student and colleague of Georg Lukács during her years at the University of Budapest, Heller is highly acclaimed for her contributions to Marxist philosophy. She received numerous awards for her work, including the Hannah Arendt Prize, the Sonning Prize, and the Goethe Medal.