ABSTRACT
The present paper compares and evaluates some convergences and differences between Karl Polanyi and Karl Marx. Among the convergences are similar philosophical anthropologies, informed by some Aristotelian notion of ethics that sees human beings as moral ones who try to realize their own essences, and their respective analyses of capitalism, especially the process of alienation and fetishism. Mostly by considering Polanyi’s own writings, the paper argues that the integration of the insights provided by the two is essential for having a better understanding of both human existence and the degradation and disintegration of society and humanity in general. The aim of the paper is to show that reading one will make us read the other in more profound ways. The analytical connections between Polanyi and Marx have been subject to some debates. Interestingly, majority of both Marxists and the followers of Polanyi are quite critical about these connections, some notable exceptions notwithstanding. It is usually held that the two represent different accounts and conceptions. But still, some important similarities and even overlaps are not uncommon, even if it is not easy to pinpoint these, because Polanyi’s relationship with Marx is somewhat “ambivalent”. The present paper considers these connections and differences by focusing mostly on Polanyi’s own writings, some of which have been published quite recently in English and discusses possible connections that could be helpful to understand their overall work in better ways.
