Moishe Postone

Moishe Postone (April 17, 1942 – March 19, 2018) was a Canadian social theorist, historian, and professor at the University of Chicago. He is renowned for his significant reinterpretation of Karl Marx's critique of political economy, most notably presented in his magnum opus, 'Time, Labor and Social Domination' (1993). Postone's work fundamentally challenged traditional Marxist interpretations, proposing that Marx's theory was not a critique of capitalism from the 'standpoint of labor' but rather a critique of labor within capitalism itself. He posited that the core issue in capitalism is not class exploitation but a unique form of 'abstract domination' by impersonal social structures, driven by the contradictory logic of capital. This dynamic, he argued, leads to increasing wealth alongside social precarity. Postone also applied his theoretical framework to analyze modern antisemitism, controversially viewing it as a fetishized, one-sided critique of capitalism. He was associated with the New Left and believed the Soviet Union was capitalist. His academic career, though unconventional, was marked by influential teaching and mentorship at the University of Chicago, where he held the Thomas E. Donnelley Professorship in History. He passed away in 2018, leaving behind unfinished scholarly projects.