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ekul's review
1.0
Absolutely brutal read. Works through centuries of Western philosophy and tries to portray the modern, globalized world as "Empire," a seemingly totalitarian structure of global capitalism. I disagree with their conclusions and find that there has not been as significant of a paradigm shift as Hardt and Negri argue. At times, the neo-Marxist jargon is so difficult and vague that the work overall feels weak.
Moreover, there are no people in the book, with the exception of the "multitude" (whatever that means). There are no places, only structures. As such, the book is not rooted in material realities, but abstraction. It is unverifiable and there is little in the way of primary sources to go back and check the authors' work, with the exception of philosophical texts.
Although this book generated considerable discussion in the early noughties, this is one text that does not seem capable of ensuring lasting value. It tries to interact with history, politics, anthropology, economics, and more, but subverts the methodologies of all of those fields. I guess we can throw this one into the "dustbin of history."
Moreover, there are no people in the book, with the exception of the "multitude" (whatever that means). There are no places, only structures. As such, the book is not rooted in material realities, but abstraction. It is unverifiable and there is little in the way of primary sources to go back and check the authors' work, with the exception of philosophical texts.
Although this book generated considerable discussion in the early noughties, this is one text that does not seem capable of ensuring lasting value. It tries to interact with history, politics, anthropology, economics, and more, but subverts the methodologies of all of those fields. I guess we can throw this one into the "dustbin of history."
vincenthowland's review
4.0
Perceptive and pellucid, Hardt and Negri provide a convincing description and demarcation of postmodern capital. The final section gradually succumbs to more ambiguous recommendations, posed in still-beautiful writing.
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