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The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
by Max Weber • 1904
Fear of damnation made work a sacred duty. From that anxious discipline grew modern capitalism.
3.91
15k+
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Summary
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 95%
Fear of damnation made work a sacred duty. From that anxious discipline grew modern capitalism.
by Max Weber 1904
3.91
15k+ ratings
The Sociological Imagination
by C. Wright Mills • 1959
Private pain is a public problem in disguise—and most social science hides the connection.
4.16
3k+
The Sociological Imagination Summary
The Sociological Imagination 94%
Private pain is a public problem in disguise—and most social science hides the connection.
by C. Wright Mills 1959
4.16
3k+ ratings
The End of the World As We Know It
by Immanuel Wallerstein • 1999
The modern world-system emerged in the 1500s. It will not survive this century.
4.01
137
The End of the World As We Know It Summary
The End of the World As We Know It 94%
The modern world-system emerged in the 1500s. It will not survive this century.
by Immanuel Wallerstein 1999
4.01
137 ratings
Grundrisse
by Karl Marx • 1857
Labor creates all value. Capital extracts it. The system is engineered to self-destruct.
4.28
2k+
Grundrisse Summary
Grundrisse 94%
Labor creates all value. Capital extracts it. The system is engineered to self-destruct.
by Karl Marx 1857
4.28
2k+ ratings
Cynicism
by Ansgar Allen • 2014
Cynicism once meant tearing everything down. Now it just means giving up.
3.71
146
Cynicism Summary
Cynicism 93%
Cynicism once meant tearing everything down. Now it just means giving up.
by Ansgar Allen 2014
3.71
146 ratings
Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy
by Joseph A. Schumpeter • 1942
The real threat to capitalism isn't failure. It's its own spectacular success.
3.99
3k+
Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy Summary
Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy 93%
The real threat to capitalism isn't failure. It's its own spectacular success.
by Joseph A. Schumpeter 1942
3.99
3k+ ratings
Buddhism
by Damien Keown • 1996
Buddhism has no god, no bible, no pope. What holds its many traditions together?
3.74
3k+
Buddhism Summary
Buddhism 93%
Buddhism has no god, no bible, no pope. What holds its many traditions together?
by Damien Keown 1996
3.74
3k+ ratings
The Society of the Spectacle
by Guy Debord • 1967
Life is no longer lived but watched. A 1967 diagnosis of how images replaced reality.
4.03
24k+
The Society of the Spectacle Summary
The Society of the Spectacle 93%
Life is no longer lived but watched. A 1967 diagnosis of how images replaced reality.
by Guy Debord 1967
4.03
24k+ ratings
One-Dimensional Man
by Herbert Marcuse • 1964
The prison of comfort: needs manufactured, desires satisfied, the very idea of escape erased.
3.98
8k+
One-Dimensional Man Summary
One-Dimensional Man 93%
The prison of comfort: needs manufactured, desires satisfied, the very idea of escape erased.
by Herbert Marcuse 1964
3.98
8k+ ratings
How to Change the World
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 2011
The regimes that claimed Marx fell. After 2008, his analysis of capitalism became inescapable again.
3.88
988
How to Change the World Summary
How to Change the World 93%
The regimes that claimed Marx fell. After 2008, his analysis of capitalism became inescapable again.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 2011
3.88
988 ratings
Why Liberalism Failed
by Patrick J. Deneen • 2018
Liberalism didn't fail despite its successes. Its successes broke it.
3.84
4k+
Why Liberalism Failed Summary
Why Liberalism Failed 93%
Liberalism didn't fail despite its successes. Its successes broke it.
by Patrick J. Deneen 2018
3.84
4k+ ratings
The Philosophy of Money
by Georg Simmel • 1900
Before coins, money was already an idea: that value is a relationship, not a substance.
4.04
426
The Philosophy of Money Summary
The Philosophy of Money 93%
Before coins, money was already an idea: that value is a relationship, not a substance.
by Georg Simmel 1900
4.04
426 ratings
Civilization
by Niall Ferguson • 2011
Five hundred years of Western rule rested on six innovations. The rest have now caught up.
3.86
10k+
Civilization Summary
Civilization 93%
Five hundred years of Western rule rested on six innovations. The rest have now caught up.
by Niall Ferguson 2011
3.86
10k+ ratings
The Worldly Philosophers
by Robert L. Heilbroner • 1953
Why capitalism's greatest thinkers were also its sharpest critics, from Smith to Schumpeter.
4.16
9k+
The Worldly Philosophers Summary
The Worldly Philosophers 93%
Why capitalism's greatest thinkers were also its sharpest critics, from Smith to Schumpeter.
by Robert L. Heilbroner 1953
4.16
9k+ ratings
Dialectic of Enlightenment
by Max Horkheimer • 1947
The drive to free humanity through reason ends in mass conformity and a new mythology.
4.11
8k+
Dialectic of Enlightenment Summary
Dialectic of Enlightenment 93%
The drive to free humanity through reason ends in mass conformity and a new mythology.
by Max Horkheimer 1947
4.11
8k+ ratings
Capitalist Realism
by Mark Fisher • 2009
Capitalism won by making its alternatives unthinkable, and its dysfunctions feel like facts of life.
4.21
41k+
Capitalist Realism Summary
Capitalist Realism 93%
Capitalism won by making its alternatives unthinkable, and its dysfunctions feel like facts of life.
by Mark Fisher 2009
4.21
41k+ ratings
Liquid Times
by Zygmunt Bauman • 2007
The stable world of careers, communities, and safety nets is gone, replaced by a permanent churn.
3.87
2k+
Liquid Times Summary
Liquid Times 93%
The stable world of careers, communities, and safety nets is gone, replaced by a permanent churn.
by Zygmunt Bauman 2007
3.87
2k+ ratings
Why Nothing Works
by Marvin Harris • 1981
An anthropologist finds that broken toasters, inflation, and cults share a single cause.
3.76
264
Why Nothing Works Summary
Why Nothing Works 93%
An anthropologist finds that broken toasters, inflation, and cults share a single cause.
by Marvin Harris 1981
3.76
264 ratings
The Dialectical Imagination
by Martin Jay • 1973
After the revolutions failed, a circle of Marxists turned their critique from capital to culture.
4.07
423
The Dialectical Imagination Summary
The Dialectical Imagination 93%
After the revolutions failed, a circle of Marxists turned their critique from capital to culture.
by Martin Jay 1973
4.07
423 ratings
Main Currents Of Marxism
by Leszek Kołakowski • 2005
Marxism's own contradictions made authoritarianism inevitable, not an aberration.
4.25
455
Main Currents Of Marxism Summary
Main Currents Of Marxism 93%
Marxism's own contradictions made authoritarianism inevitable, not an aberration.
by Leszek Kołakowski 2005
4.25
455 ratings
Bullshit Jobs
by David Graeber • 2018
Up to 40 percent of workers believe their jobs are pointless. They are probably right.
4.02
35k+
Bullshit Jobs Summary
Bullshit Jobs 92%
Up to 40 percent of workers believe their jobs are pointless. They are probably right.
by David Graeber 2018
4.02
35k+ ratings
Socialism
by Friedrich Engels • 1880
Socialism is not a dream: it is the scientific endpoint of capitalism's own contradictions.
4.26
9k+
Socialism Summary
Socialism 92%
Socialism is not a dream: it is the scientific endpoint of capitalism's own contradictions.
by Friedrich Engels 1880
4.26
9k+ ratings
The Sane Society
by Erich Fromm • 1955
Entire societies can be mentally ill and call it normal. A psychoanalyst delivers the diagnosis.
4.24
3k+
The Sane Society Summary
The Sane Society 92%
Entire societies can be mentally ill and call it normal. A psychoanalyst delivers the diagnosis.
by Erich Fromm 1955
4.24
3k+ ratings
The Relevance of the Communist Manifesto
by Slavoj Žižek • 2018
The Communist Manifesto foresaw virtual money, debt bondage, false choices. But offered no way out.
3.57
822
The Relevance of the Communist Manifesto Summary
The Relevance of the Communist Manifesto 92%
The Communist Manifesto foresaw virtual money, debt bondage, false choices. But offered no way out.
by Slavoj Žižek 2018
3.57
822 ratings
Wars and Capital (Semiotext
by Éric Alliez • 2016
Capitalism is a war system that uses markets, not an economic system that uses war.
3.93
29
Wars and Capital (Semiotext Summary
Wars and Capital (Semiotext 92%
Capitalism is a war system that uses markets, not an economic system that uses war.
by Éric Alliez 2016
3.93
29 ratings
The Sublime Object of Ideology
by Slavoj Žižek • 1989
We are cynical, not naive. The ideological illusion operates through our actions, not our beliefs.
4.07
6k+
The Sublime Object of Ideology Summary
The Sublime Object of Ideology 92%
We are cynical, not naive. The ideological illusion operates through our actions, not our beliefs.
by Slavoj Žižek 1989
4.07
6k+ ratings
Shitbürgertum
by Ulf Poschardt • 2025
Moral posturing, language control, contempt for ambition: how a parasitic class captured Germany.
3.21
301
Shitbürgertum Summary
Shitbürgertum 92%
Moral posturing, language control, contempt for ambition: how a parasitic class captured Germany.
by Ulf Poschardt 2025
3.21
301 ratings
To Have or To Be?
by Erich Fromm • 1976
Two modes of existence divide us: one treats everything as property; the other, as living encounter.
4.18
14k+
To Have or To Be? Summary
To Have or To Be? 92%
Two modes of existence divide us: one treats everything as property; the other, as living encounter.
by Erich Fromm 1976
4.18
14k+ ratings
New Ideas from Dead Economists
by Todd G. Buchholz • 1989
Trade wars, tax cuts, and inflation panics are arguments long-dead thinkers already had, and won.
3.84
2k+
New Ideas from Dead Economists Summary
New Ideas from Dead Economists 92%
Trade wars, tax cuts, and inflation panics are arguments long-dead thinkers already had, and won.
by Todd G. Buchholz 1989
3.84
2k+ ratings
Karl Marx
by 50Minutes • 2015
Profit is unpaid labor: Marx's case that capitalism exploits workers and is headed for collapse.
Karl Marx Summary
Karl Marx 92%
Profit is unpaid labor: Marx's case that capitalism exploits workers and is headed for collapse.
by 50Minutes 2015
The Trouble with Diversity
by Walter Benn Michaels • 2006
The left traded class war for culture war, and the rich couldn't believe their luck.
3.59
516
The Trouble with Diversity Summary
The Trouble with Diversity 92%
The left traded class war for culture war, and the rich couldn't believe their luck.
by Walter Benn Michaels 2006
3.59
516 ratings
Mix It Up
by David Grazian • 2010
Rihanna, the Super Bowl, and Disney: how sociology reveals the social forces behind popular culture.
3.52
107
Mix It Up Summary
Mix It Up 92%
Rihanna, the Super Bowl, and Disney: how sociology reveals the social forces behind popular culture.
by David Grazian 2010
3.52
107 ratings
The Communist Manifesto
by Karl Marx • 1848
History is class war. Capitalism narrowed the fight to two sides, and one is learning the rules.
3.69
202k+
The Communist Manifesto Summary
The Communist Manifesto 92%
History is class war. Capitalism narrowed the fight to two sides, and one is learning the rules.
by Karl Marx 1848
3.69
202k+ ratings
Uses of Disorder
by Richard Sennett • 1970
The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.
3.88
258
Uses of Disorder Summary
Uses of Disorder 92%
The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.
by Richard Sennett 1970
3.88
258 ratings
A People's Guide to Capitalism
by Hadas Thier • 2018
The dirty secret of every price tag: profit comes from work that was never paid for.
4.28
1k+
A People's Guide to Capitalism Summary
A People's Guide to Capitalism 92%
The dirty secret of every price tag: profit comes from work that was never paid for.
by Hadas Thier 2018
4.28
1k+ ratings
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
by Alain de Botton • 2008
From cargo ships to rocket launches, a philosopher finds why work delights and disappoints us.
3.62
6k+
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work Summary
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work 92%
From cargo ships to rocket launches, a philosopher finds why work delights and disappoints us.
by Alain de Botton 2008
3.62
6k+ ratings
Politics As a Vocation
by Max Weber • 2013
The modern state's one true monopoly is not mail or schools. It is the legitimate use of force.
3.77
709
Politics As a Vocation Summary
Politics As a Vocation 92%
The modern state's one true monopoly is not mail or schools. It is the legitimate use of force.
by Max Weber 2013
3.77
709 ratings
Studies in the Development of Capitalism
by Maurice Dobb • 2007
Capitalism was born when peasants lost their land and had nothing left to sell but their own labor.
3.85
62
Studies in the Development of Capitalism Summary
Studies in the Development of Capitalism 92%
Capitalism was born when peasants lost their land and had nothing left to sell but their own labor.
by Maurice Dobb 2007
3.85
62 ratings
The Socialist Manifesto
by Bhaskar Sunkara • 2019
Capitalism was an accident, socialism a response. A history of what followed, and what comes next.
3.62
2k+
The Socialist Manifesto Summary
The Socialist Manifesto 92%
Capitalism was an accident, socialism a response. A history of what followed, and what comes next.
by Bhaskar Sunkara 2019
3.62
2k+ ratings
We Have Never Been Woke
by Musa al-Gharbi • 2024
Wokeness is how a new elite secures status while deepening the inequalities it claims to fight.
4.20
909
We Have Never Been Woke Summary
We Have Never Been Woke 92%
Wokeness is how a new elite secures status while deepening the inequalities it claims to fight.
by Musa al-Gharbi 2024
4.20
909 ratings
The Stillborn God
by Mark Lilla • 2007
Politics broke from God only recently, and Weimar nearly put them back together.
3.60
289
The Stillborn God Summary
The Stillborn God 92%
Politics broke from God only recently, and Weimar nearly put them back together.
by Mark Lilla 2007
3.60
289 ratings
Education and the Social Order
by Bertrand Russell • 1932
What if schools are built to shape obedient citizens, not free minds? Russell's 1932 diagnosis cuts.
4.02
207
Education and the Social Order Summary
Education and the Social Order 92%
What if schools are built to shape obedient citizens, not free minds? Russell's 1932 diagnosis cuts.
by Bertrand Russell 1932
4.02
207 ratings
The Myth of the State
by Ernst Cassirer • 1946
The Greeks fought myth with reason. The modern state perfected it as a weapon.
3.90
209
The Myth of the State Summary
The Myth of the State 92%
The Greeks fought myth with reason. The modern state perfected it as a weapon.
by Ernst Cassirer 1946
3.90
209 ratings
Talking to My Daughter About the Economy
by Yanis Varoufakis • 2013
Capitalism began when grain storage created money and debt. Its crisis is written into that origin.
4.13
21k+
Talking to My Daughter About the Economy Summary
Talking to My Daughter About the Economy 92%
Capitalism began when grain storage created money and debt. Its crisis is written into that origin.
by Yanis Varoufakis 2013
4.13
21k+ ratings
Technofeudalism
by Yanis Varoufakis • 2023
Capitalism died. Now platforms are private fiefdoms, and your everyday activity is unpaid labor.
4.02
10k+
Technofeudalism Summary
Technofeudalism 92%
Capitalism died. Now platforms are private fiefdoms, and your everyday activity is unpaid labor.
by Yanis Varoufakis 2023
4.02
10k+ ratings
The Shock Doctrine
by Naomi Klein • 2007
Chile 1973, Iraq 2003, New Orleans 2005: each crisis was followed by the same economic playbook.
4.30
55k+
The Shock Doctrine Summary
The Shock Doctrine 92%
Chile 1973, Iraq 2003, New Orleans 2005: each crisis was followed by the same economic playbook.
by Naomi Klein 2007
4.30
55k+ ratings
Race Marxism
by James Lindsay • 2022
Critical race theory is Marxism rebuilt around race, and its goal is not reform but revolution.
4.23
364
Race Marxism Summary
Race Marxism 92%
Critical race theory is Marxism rebuilt around race, and its goal is not reform but revolution.
by James Lindsay 2022
4.23
364 ratings
The Servile State
by Hilaire Belloc • 1912
Capitalism's true successor is not a worker's state but a legally enforced servitude already here.
3.96
659
The Servile State Summary
The Servile State 92%
Capitalism's true successor is not a worker's state but a legally enforced servitude already here.
by Hilaire Belloc 1912
3.96
659 ratings
Intellectuals and Society
by Thomas Sowellm • 2009
The most educated minds keep getting the biggest questions wrong. It is not bad luck.
4.29
4k+
Intellectuals and Society Summary
Intellectuals and Society 92%
The most educated minds keep getting the biggest questions wrong. It is not bad luck.
by Thomas Sowellm 2009
4.29
4k+ ratings
Trouble in Paradise
by Slavoj Žižek • 2014
Financial crises don't break capitalism. They renew it. The way out was buried on purpose.
3.73
1k+
Trouble in Paradise Summary
Trouble in Paradise 92%
Financial crises don't break capitalism. They renew it. The way out was buried on purpose.
by Slavoj Žižek 2014
3.73
1k+ ratings
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