Das Capital should be read by everybody - after they turn 40 and have some experience.
In my opinion, it's a dangerous read, because it will turn you into a fire breathing totalitarian if you don't see the subtle flaws in it.
In my opinion, it's a dangerous read, because it will turn you into a fire breathing totalitarian if you don't see the subtle flaws in it.
The horrors are so shocking that you're willing to suspend disbelief and accept the remedy.
So as you go through life, I would make one observation - just because someone can point out the flaws, doesn't make their proposed remedy nesessarily correct.
The subtle flaw in state enforced collectivism is that people will only work so much for 'the common good' - people want to see some benefit to themselves for their hard work and will basically 'shut-down' if they don't. To combat this, the state now has to force the people to work - with the threat of bodily harm. That ability to force people becomes a source of corruption and you suddenly have a totalitarian state run by despots.
All because Marx though people would happily and selflessly work for the common good. It would be nice if he was correct, but he isn't and we have to deal in reality.