The Writing on the Wall
This passionate collection of essays by Anselm Jappe, a critique of value theorist, is a significant contribution to the critical analysis of contemporary capitalism. Resolutely anti-capitalist, the author reminds us that by demanding submission of all aspects of life to market relationships, the system inexorably leads to the destruction of human communities and the environment. Michael Löwy, Alternative Libertaire
Contact with reality makes a theory stronger and the importance of Anselm Jappe’s book is that it allows us to measure the explicatory power of the ‘critique of value’ when it is applied to a number of different subjects, from […] political life to contemporary art. The central chapter, where he analyses the subprimes crisis, is the most striking. Here Jappe reminds us of the founding paradox of capitalism as originally formulated by Marx: capitalism realises profits by exploiting human labour, yet every increase in productivity made possible by automation and technology reduces human input into the goods that are produced.
Eric Aeschimann, Libération