Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

Marx's Sophistries: The Fractured Logic of Das Kapital by Lawrence Eubank is a book that philosophy buffs and readers who enjoy critical thinking and well-formulated ideas will enjoy. In this book, the author demonstrates an unusual intelligence and attacks the works of Karl Marx, especially as outlined in Das Kapital, with forensic criticism. The book examines Marx’s socialist revolutionary philosophy as outlined in his foundational theoretical text in materialist philosophy, economics, and politics. It shows the loopholes in his arguments, from the formulation of concepts, through the idea of “labor theory,” his concept of labor power, to his claims of revealing the capitalist trick. The author sets out to demonstrate that, like the ancient sophists, Marx said too little in so many words, and ends up with an argument that is more confusing than it is well-grounded in reality.

This is a book for intellectuals and readers who enjoy political and philosophical discourse. Those with some background in political science, philosophy, and sociology will revel in the work. It invites an honest discussion of Karl Marx’s philosophical contribution. The author dissects Marx’s logic and his indictment of the market economies and capitalist societies, and he demonstrates with convincing arguments that the work was sham, “but a sham of an especially convoluted and impenetrable kind.” Lawrence Eubank not only claims that Marx’s text is ambiguous but goes on to demonstrate this claim with rational and realistic arguments.

Reading this book leads the reader to only one sane conclusion: Karl Marx banked on the sensitivity of the middle-class workers and used a verbal coup that associated “capitalism” with the notion that the few control the wealth of the world while the masses languish in poverty. Yet, he doesn’t do a great job in his attack on capitalism. Marx's Sophistries: The Fractured Logic of Das Kapital is a brilliantly written work, essays that constitute a great document for readers who enjoy critical thinking. The author comes across as an expert in philosophy; his arguments are logical with apt references and examples that corroborate his ideas. It is both enjoyable and thought-provoking, a powerful slap in the face of the followers of the renowned German thinker, Karl Marx.