Thinking With Marx Today, Volume 2: “Man?” (Historical Materialism)

The second volume in Lucien Sève's Thinking with Marx Today series explores Marx's revolution in anthropology. Instead of abstract "man," Marx argued that there is an ensemble of societal relations that underpins social formations of various kinds as well as a variety of forms of individuality. Sève deftly analyzes the philosophical preconditions and the fundamental concepts of this anthropology. This is followed by critiques of Nietzsche, Heidegger, and contemporary primatology coupled with borrowings from Freud, Politzer, Vygotsky, and contemporary literature on biography. The book's aim, then, is nothing less than to outline a science of human individuality.