Sparks Commentary: A review of “The Communist Manifesto” (audiobook)

I once read “The Communist Manifesto” itself in English translation in 2012, because it is a shorter work that requires very little time commitment. I am not a fan of this work, and tend to find it a bit on the nutty side. Nonetheless, I'm glad that I read it, and took the time to think about its ideas. Some years ago, I acquired an audiobook about “The Communist Manifesto” which briefly discusses its main ideas, and gives some historical background about it as well. This is the audiobook that I will be reviewing here.

In learning about any work, there is no substitute for reading the work itself. Why, then, should one bother with other books (even easier audiobooks) about “The Communist Manifesto”? Part of it is that they don't just “give you the text” of the book, although they do quote parts of it here. Rather, they accompany the quotations with some background information that is not available within the book itself. For example, they give some biographical information about Karl Marx himself, and talk about the people and ideas that influenced him (as well as his famous collaborator Friedrich Engels). They also give some critical evaluation of his ideas, and the word “critical” is an apt description here in more than one sense. They don't give him a pass on its many fallacies, but point out how erroneous they are in a very clear way. (More on Marx's errors in another of my blog posts. For now, I will just focus on giving a review of this audiobook.)

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

Anti-Marxists are often told that they would benefit from listening to Karl Marx's ideas “with an open mind” (which I actually agree with). In like manner, I think that Marxists would benefit from listening to this audiobook's responses “with an open mind.” If they believe that Karl Marx deserves a “fair hearing” (and he does), then they should likewise consider giving a “fair hearing” to this audiobook, and hearing what it has to say. That doesn't mean that they have to agree with it, of course, but nor should they automatically dismiss it. To me, this seems to be a good introduction to anti-Marxist arguments, and helps you to understand why Marx's critics believe the way that they do (and I count myself among them, as you may have gathered).

Karl Marx

It's only an hour and a half long, as it turns out, and is coupled with a similar presentation on Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s “The Social Contract” (which has a similar length). This, too, is a fine presentation; and well justifies the cost of the purchase if you're like me – helping one to understand both philosophers, and how wrong they both were.