the only part of this book worth anything is the articulation of how the commons r only recovered thru exodus from capital along lines of flight, and how the specters of the common r corrupted by institutional forms of state-capital

but these analyses r underdeveloped, and r also just philosophically weaker versions of agambens notions of destituent inoperativity and the dispotif of sovereign capture (respectively); a lack of philosophical vigor and originality can b excused if there is some practical import, but ofc there is none to b found here ( )

Disclaimer: I'm not the most-informed person to review this - I've only read Empire some years ago (and had mixed feelings on it), but I was able to figure out what 'the multitude' was easily enough. I'm only passingly familiar with some of their theoretical background of Hegel, Kant, Spinoza, Marx. Foucault a little bit, but less so. Habermas and Deleuze are mysteries to me. So skip this ramble if you are more informed than I.

Empire was a very scathing review of modern globalization, providing a theoretical basis for multinational entities, abusing and manipulating the awareness of an underclass, etc. The multitude, as theorized, is a class which is so wide-ranging and disparate that it cannot self-rule, nor can be it be managed by a separate ruler. Reminiscent of Marx's description of the masses.

With modern neo-liberal capitalism cracking at the seams, Hardt and Negri argue for the 'social commons'. Subjective discourse, power of the multitude. Intellectual genealogy on ethics reaching back to Spinoza (which I respect immensely). Lots of stuff on biopolitics and the emphasis of 'love' and 'desire' in the new economy. We're moving past the old idea of the worker. Inherent distrust for organization and hierarchy. Separate 'outsider' groups are the focus on social reform. Although they will not all work together, their reforms will take on parallel paths. Abolition of private property (expected, these are Marxists). Focus on social relationships and personal interest as focus of new economy, which would be valueless. Some interpretations and misinterpretations of the Internet.

Some ideas in this book were very intriguing, but some descended into a contradicting mishmash. Empire still seems to be the most relevant, most advanced and most discussed, go there. ( )

A continuation of the theoretical thrust of Empire and Multitude. The authors present an argument relating to freedom, equality and democracy in the modern world. The title contains a neat pun on commonwealth in the sense of "state" and "common wealth."