¿This book provides a concise overview of Marx¿s philosophy and political economy, tracing various changes of his theoretical views over time through his practical and theoretical engagements with contradictions of capitalism from the unique perspective of Japanese Marxism. While it offers an objective introduction to Marx¿s critique of capitalism, Sasaki uniquely pays particular attention to the concept of ¿metabolism,¿ whose disruption under the capitalist mode of production causes exhaustion of labour-power as well as natural resources. Sasaki reconstructs Marx as a revolutionary thinker, whose devoted his entire life for the sake of establishing a more free and equal society beyond capitalism. Sasaki¿s book shows that Marx¿s passion for the socialist revolution in his last years is recorded in his late excerpt notebooks that become available through the Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe.

Ryuji Sasaki is Associate Professor of Economics at Rikkyo University, Japan.

Michael Schauerte is a translator based in Miyazaki, Japan.

1 The Path Toward Questioning Capitalism (1818-1848): The Young Marx and "New Materialism".- 2 A Changing View of Capitalism (1848-1867): Marx's Critique of Political Economy.- 3 How to Fight Against Capitalism (1867-1883): Concept of "Metabolism" Within the Later Thought of Marx.