Terry Eagleton's Why Marx Was Right

Terry Eagleton’s book Why Marx Was Right is an insightful dive into Marxist theories as well as an organized response to ten common critiques of the philosopher Karl Marx. Eagleton writes clearly and honestly throughout this text, having a scholarly respect for factual information. This book captures many essential moments of Marxist examination, the quote “Inequality is as natural to capitalism as narcissism and megalomania are to Hollywood” (Terry Eagleton, Why Marx Was Right, p.71) being one of the beautiful statements Eagleton asserts within the text. This paper will deeply analyze this quotation and apply its content to present day media, politics and culture. Karl Marx’s chief characteristic was singleness of purpose. His idea of happiness was to fight for rights and his idea of misery was submission. Having died over one hundred years ago, Marx’s theories continue to float over our world, his ideas refusing to die along with him. Marx’s theory is that of conflict. He believed that society was in a constant conflict between the rich and the poor, known as …show more content…
Today we live in a world where banks finance capital and coordinate the running of the international economy. The banks are linked with international corporations that employ an international work force. Marx wrote, “The bourgeoisie has subjected the country to the rule of the towns” (Marx and Engels The Communist Manifesto), from the corporate cities they direct the modern world and invest internationally in order to split up the factory work throughout different countries. The injustice of a work force with low wages at a higher profit is the most exploited sector of modern capitalism. The third world work force is a current and constant part of present culture, from the manufacturing of our clothing or furniture it is the highest form of capitalist inequality that is put out of view from our distracted