João Romeiro Hermeto – författare

The Paradox of Intellectual Property in Capitalism is an innovative book that comprehensively discusses and analyses intellectual property under capitalistic social conditions and relations. It not only addresses some historical developments of intellectual property but also brings to the fore the very notion of what knowledge is, knowledge creation, and knowledge production and appropriation within a Marxist framework. Nonetheless, the adopted approach pays heed to multiple fields of knowledge, providing rich discussions that facilitate the understanding of actual social totality in which capitalism, knowledge production and appropriation, and the struggles of appropriation mutually reinforce each other, although not devoid of antagonisms and contradictions.In light of contemporary capitalism, the transformations that social property relations are undergoing must be scrutinised – such as those brought about by the development of digitalisation and the convergence between big pharma and tech giants. What are the conditions of intellectual property creation today? What theoretical assumptions does it make? Under what social relations is intellectual property produced? Throughout, the emphasis is not on individual cases or symptoms but on the overarching logic: the logic of capitalism as revealed in intellectual property.

The Paradox of Intellectual Property in Capitalism is an innovative book that comprehensively discusses and analyses intellectual property under capitalistic social conditions and relations. It not only addresses some historical developments of intellectual property but also brings to the fore the very notion of what knowledge is, knowledge creation, and knowledge production and appropriation within a Marxist framework. Nonetheless, the adopted approach pays heed to multiple fields of knowledge, providing rich discussions that facilitate the understanding of actual social totality in which capitalism, knowledge production and appropriation, and the struggles of appropriation mutually reinforce each other, although not devoid of antagonisms and contradictions.

In light of contemporary capitalism, the transformations that social property relations are undergoing must be scrutinised – such as those brought about by the development of digitalisation and the convergence between big pharma and tech giants. What are the conditions of intellectual property creation today? What theoretical assumptions does it make? Under what social relations is intellectual property produced? 

Throughout, the emphasis is not on individual cases or symptoms but on the overarching logic: the logic of capitalism as revealed in intellectual property.

The Paradox of Intellectual Property in Capitalism is an innovative book that comprehensively discusses and analyses intellectual property under capitalistic social conditions and relations. It not only addresses some historical developments of intellectual property but also brings to the fore the very notion of what knowledge is, knowledge creation, and knowledge production and appropriation within a Marxist framework. Nonetheless, the adopted approach pays heed to multiple fields of knowledge, providing rich discussions that facilitate the understanding of actual social totality in which capitalism, knowledge production and appropriation, and the struggles of appropriation mutually reinforce each other, although not devoid of antagonisms and contradictions.In light of contemporary capitalism, the transformations that social property relations are undergoing must be scrutinised – such as those brought about by the development of digitalisation and the convergence between big pharma and tech giants. What are the conditions of intellectual property creation today? What theoretical assumptions does it make? Under what social relations is intellectual property produced? Throughout, the emphasis is not on individual cases or symptoms but on the overarching logic: the logic of capitalism as revealed in intellectual property.

This book argues that the private appropriation of human knowledge through intellectual property gives rise to power relations, which colonise the collective mind as well as individual minds. In so doing these power relations destroy the social fabric necessary for producing and reproducing knowledge.Besides the direct impact on political-economic relations, the privatisation of knowledge distresses collective memory. The book concludes that although individual, social, and collective memories can only exist in tandem, the atrophy of the social and collective dimensions of the mind results in a sort of social dementia.The Privatisation of Knowledge is essential reading for all scholars and researchers of economic philosophy. It is also ideal for researchers of Marxian social science.

This book argues that the private appropriation of human knowledge through intellectual property gives rise to power relations, which colonise the collective mind as well as individual minds. In so doing these power relations destroy the social fabric necessary for producing and reproducing knowledge.Besides the direct impact on political-economic relations, the privatisation of knowledge distresses collective memory. The book concludes that although individual, social, and collective memories can only exist in tandem, the atrophy of the social and collective dimensions of the mind results in a sort of social dementia.The Privatisation of Knowledge is essential reading for all scholars and researchers of economic philosophy. It is also ideal for researchers of Marxian social science.

This book argues that the private appropriation of human knowledge through intellectual property gives rise to power relations, which colonise the collective mind as well as individual minds. In so doing these power relations destroy the social fabric necessary for producing and reproducing knowledge.Besides the direct impact on political-economic relations, the privatisation of knowledge distresses collective memory. The book concludes that although individual, social, and collective memories can only exist in tandem, the atrophy of the social and collective dimensions of the mind results in a sort of social dementia.The Privatisation of Knowledge is essential reading for all scholars and researchers of economic philosophy. It is also ideal for researchers of Marxian social science.