RFH 131: Reading Capital Belatedly: Gabriel Cracks the Spine

Radio Free Humanity: The Marxist-Humanist Podcast

In honor of Gabriel Donnelly recently finishing his first-time reading of Marx’s “Capital,” Volume I, from cover to cover, Andrew Kliman interviews him about the experience. Gabriel is asked why it took him so long, and what the experience was like. Andrew gets in on the fun, telling the story of his own first-time reading. The co-hosts also discuss several aspects of “Capital,” including the concept of labor-power and the distinction between absolute and relative surplus-value, and why it is important—and possible—to read “Capital” without a reading guide, despite the supposed difficulty of the text. The co-hosts hope that this episode will inspire any listener who hasn’t yet cracked the spine to dive into this text.