The Philosophy of Karl Marx

Karl Marx died in 1883, yet his ideas remain as relevant as ever. In mainstream academia and media, he is often dismissed as an outdated Victorian thinker—a mere "Dead White Man"—or vilified as the inspiration behind oppressive Communist regimes. But these portrayals are misleading. Marx dedicated his life to understanding and critiquing capitalism. He viewed it as both liberating—unleashing human productive potential—and destructive as it thrives on the exploitation of labor and drives societies toward economic crises and environmental catastrophe.

We live in a world marked by economic instability, geopolitical conflict, and escalating climate chaos. In this talk, Alex Callinicos will explore how Marx’s attempts to uncover the inner logic of these crises make him a profoundly contemporary thinker. His critique of capitalism was rooted in the idea of freedom—that true human liberation means being free from all forms of exploitation and oppression, with control over our own lives. As we examine his ideas, we’ll consider how well Marx’s thinking holds up in the world today.

Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm - come down early to grab a good seat!

Follow us on IG @seedtalks

Alex Callinicos was born in Zimbabwe and studied at Oxford University and the London School of Economics. He is an Emeritus Professor of European Studies at King’s College London and previously taught for many years at the University of York. From 2009 to 2020, he served as the editor of International Socialism. A prolific author, his works include Althusser’s Marxism (1976), The Revolutionary Ideas of Karl Marx (1983), Making History (1987), Against Postmodernism (1989), An Anti-Capitalist Manifesto (2003), Imperialism and Global Political Economy (2009), Deciphering Capital (2014), The New Age of Catastrophe (2023), and The Routledge Handbook of Marxism and Post-Marxism (2021), co-edited with Stathis Kouvelakis and Lucia Pradella. Alex has lectured widely across Britain and internationally, speaking in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey, the United States, China, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa. Most recently, he appeared on South Korean educational TV’s Great Minds series, delivering a lecture on “Capitalism, Socialism, and Catastrophe.”

Testimonials from our customers

⭐ Seed Talks created a friendly and inclusive atmosphere, it was a really wonderful experience. Thank you Seed Talks for facilitating such a powerful and important platform. 100% recommend you check out a Seed Talk near you! - Anna F.

⭐ Seed Talks have done an incredible job at making insanely cool topics easily digestible and enjoyable to learn about for one's self improvement. It's like Ted Talks, but cooler? And more accessible! - Eva W

⭐I've attended a few of your talks over the past few months and have absolutely loved them so first of all thank you so much for bringing joy and understanding to the world of neuroscience. - Joe F