Abstract
Engels’s Outlines of a Critique of Political Economy, published in 1844, comprises central elements of his later economic and social thought. Even though some insights cannot withstand critical appraisal, it is an extraordinary contribution to the emergence and development of the Marxian theory of political economy. This chapter, concerning “what is” and “what ought to be” in Engels’s Outlines, argues from the perspective of the time of writing. I consider the extent to which Engels’s economic statements were scientifically sound; how far he took note of existing approaches at all; and to what extent he selected economic theories in an interest-driven manner. I conclude that Engels was a visionary thinker with a passion for justice who strove to change the world.
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Frambach, H. (2022). Outlines of a Critique of Political Economy: The is/Ought Question. In: Carver, T., Rapic, S. (eds) Friedrich Engels for the 21st Century. Marx, Engels, and Marxisms. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97138-0_6
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