Eric Aarons - Later Life

Later Life

Since the early 1990s he has published a number of important books, notably What’s Left? (1993), an account of his years of activism in the CPA, which as its title suggests, also posed some searching questions about the future of left-wing ideas and actions, and What’s Right? (2003), which analysed the development of neo-liberalism and questioned where this trend of right-wing ideas has left classical liberal thought.

This study of right-wing philosophy and activism led him to a deep study of the ideas and influence of the free market economist, Friedrich Hayek, whose ideas have influenced not only modern neo-liberal thinkers but to one extent or another have been put into practice around the world over the past 30 years. This resulted to the publication of Market Versus Nature: The Social Philosophy of Friedrich Hayek (2008), in which the operation of unfettered free markets is analysed and the problem of market failures addressed, especially as it relates to the destruction of the environment and global warming.

Aarons continues to think deeply and write about modern politics and ideas. In 2008 he completed writing Hayek versus Marx and Today’s Challenges, which compares the philosophies, ideas and influence of Friedrich Hayek and Karl Marx and questions whether they are relevant to future global challenges. His final conclusion on the Marxist dream is that the socialist project was flawed because the society envisaged was not feasible, although the movements it inspired engaged in many important campaigns and won important social reforms. He does not regret his own role as a leading Marxist theorist and activist in the CPA.