A review by leoberenson
Capital and Ideology by Thomas Piketty

hopeful informative slow-paced

5.0

Capital and Ideology is a brilliant work of political literature. Written years after (and in my opinion definitely exceeding the quality of) Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty’s colossal analysis of ideological conflict and development throughout human history has officially made him one of my favourite global leftist thinkers of the modern day. Expanding his scope of analysis from Capital in the Twenty-First Century in an attempt to provide stronger backing to his claims by decentering a Western perspective (there is a fascinating section covering India and its quota system that would almost make the book worth it on its own), Piketty demonstrates the faults of a deterministic view of history, using it to provide hope that a more just, egalitarian system is possible both nationally and inter/transnationally. While his final section discussing solutions is weaker than the rest of the book, just as it was in Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Piketty proposes some truly bold and data-driven ideas that still gave me much to think about. I’d strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for an in-depth vision of a democratic socialist future without much of the economic jargon that makes Capital in the Twenty-First Century not very approachable.