Abstract

Tony Smith argues that dialectical social theory - once the dominant mode of discourse among Marxists and other leftists - has practically disappeared in an environment where radical change seems unlikely. The aim of this book is to rescue Marxism from game theory and neo-Kantianism, and revive the Hegelian tradition in radical social theory. The attempt to insert Hegel into leftist discourse seems especially timely given the resurgence of interest in Hegel elsewhere. The question, however, is whether this effort will succeed. Is it too late to reverse Marxism’s retreat from dialectics; and is Smith’s book an instrument for doing so?