Our Modern Times: The New Nature of Capitalism in the Information Age

Abstract

Whilst the 'revolution' has yet to arrive and although some, notably Francis Fukuyama's End of History, have brashly attempted to bludgeon the legitimacy of Marxist ideals in our modern liberal times, the disillusionment over the professed social and economic benefits to be derived from the so-called information age has not abated and a flurry of explanations rooted in Marxian concepts have recently emerged. Our Modern Times constitutes such an explanation. Not so much a book as an extended essay, Cohen borrows Marxist concepts, particularly Marx's theory of alienation, to aid his account of the origins, the condition, and the current trajectory of our information society. It is worth mentioning immediately that those bereft of Marxist leanings need not be immediately repulsed since the deployment of such concepts is decidedly prudent. Similarly, repulsion should not be encountered by those lacking Marxist knowledge as Cohen drops most of the theoretical baggage and histrionics to deliver a gentle and unpretentious exposition with plenty of illustrative examples.

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