The Poverty of Economy in the Twenty-First Century

Critique to the Anti-Marxist Manifesto of Thomas Piketty

Abstract

This paper aims to evaluate the critique Thomas Piketty addresses to Marx in his book "Capital in the Twenty-First Century". To do so, it analyzes its five main arguments: that Marx’s theory implicitly relies on a strict assumption of zero productivity growth over the long run; that Marx constructed his theory to justify the political conclusions presented in the Manifesto of the Communist Party; that the empirical data contradicts its predictions; that Marx did not how to use statistical data properly; and that the author did not explain the functioning of a communist society. The conclusion reached is that Piketty's criticisms are based on a profound ignorance of Marx's work.