Marx for Beginners - Amy Lu

This book was definitely not an easy read for me. There were times when I had a hard time understanding certain concepts, the differences between philosophers and had a hard time grasping the themes of importance as I read them. As I started to read the last quarter of the book, I felt more comfortable to be able to think about what I’ve read and not just try to understand them. A thought came up about Marx; rather than the philosophies of Marx – the history of philosophy, idealism, and materialism and eventually, materialistic dialectics in economics, politics and the social change to communism, what I got from the book was how hard it is to push and impose novel ideas towards society.
The dedication and passion that affected not only Marx, but philosophers as early on as Socrates are admirable, choosing to lead their lives through what they believe in – but was it fulfilling for them? Along with admirability, there is also a sense of self centeredness – Marx could have chosen a different job, to make more money and therefore, have more of a chance to keep his children healthier. But would life have been easier if Marx had a job that paid or had been a bourgeoisie or capitalist? The dissonance between beliefs and actions might have been more unbearable than the hard life that he lead – where is there a time to choose priorities and head down one path? How set is a person’s morals, beliefs and actions?