Marx and the ancients: classical ethics, social justice, and nineteenth-century political economy

Abstract

Marx and the Ancients is the first book-length treatment to detail the relationship between classical Greek philosophy and Karl Marx's critique of political economy. From his dissertation on the physics and astronomy of Epicurus and Democritus to his later economic writings, Marx's view of the classical polis left its mark. George McCarthy argues that this forgotten element in Marx's thought helps clarify his positions on ethics and social justice.