ESSAY QUESTIONS:

1. How is Marx's criticism of capitalism linked to both (a) Kantian accounts of the moral community, and (b) Aristotle's account of the good human life? Explain your answer fully.

2. How might Mill agree with Marx's criticisms of nineteenth century social conditions? Explain your answer, and support it by referring directly to both Marx and Mill. Do you agree with these criticisms? Do you think that they are applicable to society today?

3. In what ways was Marx influenced by Hegel? In what ways did his thinking depart from that of Hegel?

4. If history is governed by social and economic forces and not by ideas, why do you think Marx was so intellectually engaged? Explain your answer fully.

5. What are Marx's criticisms of capitalism? Do you believe that they are (a) factually accurate, (b) legitimate? Explain and justify your answers.

6. Do you agree with Marx's claims concerning "alienation" and "surplus value"? If so, what do you think is the most powerful criticism of them--and why do you think that it is mistaken? If not, why not?

7. What is "dialectical materialism"? What are the historical stages that marx identified? Do you believe that his identification of these stages was correct, or not? Explain our answer.

8. In what way in Marx's view of history a deterministic view? Explain your answer. Does this mean that people are not masters of how their society is organized? What would Marx's response be, and do you agree?