h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello everyone. I was thinking that it would be nice to have an entry on what Marx actually said so that people don't think he was some sort of raving authoritarian lunatic. However, I'd probably need a bit of help on this. I was thinking of an entry which covered the following points: Marx's speculative philosophy (e.g. the ideas of alienation, dialectical materialism, etc.), Marx's economic theory (surplus value, etc.), followers of Marx and, crucially, how they differ from him (this could include a bit about communism).

I could probably manage the bit about his speculative philosophy, but I'm not particularly well up on his economic theory or the body of work of his followers, so anyone with some expertise in either of these, please let me know. I'm not thinking of a particularly technical article because that wouldn't be very suitable for the guide, something more like "Marx for Dummies" .

I find this a fascinating topic, though I confess I know very little about it...

How about the central tenet of Marxism: 'To each according to their needs, from each according to their ability'. As opposed to the opposite, which was fashionable for the while in the 1980's.

I guess I'll wait a while and see if some knowledgeable Marx expert turns up. If they don't then in a while I'll write a less ambitious piece giving a bit of detail about his speculative philosophy, nothing about his economic theory and a tiny bit about the history. It would be a shame not to have a more comprehensive entry though.

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Back to Entry. Exciting topic full of potential, but easier to start to scratch.