Young Marx verse Old Marx

[Le People]

What do you all think of pre German Ideology Marx, especially in The Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844? I find more humanistic, even existential here and there, than the empricist economist we see in capital. What do you all think of post German Ideology Marx?

[Nilats]

Well Marx changed from being a liberal pre 1844 or so to being a materialist and a socialist post 1844 or so. This is marked turning point as Marx was always interested in socialist ideas but hated the utopianism that was the main faction of socialism at the time.

[JimFar]

Go see the Question on Marxology thread (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=55135&st=0&#entry1292163527) where the "young" versus "old" Marx was discussed in some detail.

[More Fire for the People]

I would not consider any of Marx's works from a particular decade as having any signficant rupture from any work from previous decade, but when comparing the Marx of 1844 Manuscripts and the Marx of Capital a 'break' in method may become apparent. Because of the long period of time in-between the two works, I would say that Althusser was trying to impose an 'epistemological break' upon Marx. When one accounts for each decade or so it becomes apparent that each work is an improved and refined materialist version of the humanistic and existentialist early years.