In the 1800s, Karl Marx described money as the “universal agent of separation” – an enchanting elixir, which could unpredictably and instantaneously divorce us from our good intelligence, cherished principles and higher nature.

“Money is one of the most significant social facts linking all people today and Marx is widely acknowledged as the nineteenth-century thinker with the single greatest impact on social developments in the twentieth century. This study links the two in an examination of Marx’s unique commodity theory of money.
Anitra Nelson places Marx’s theory of money within the wider context of his philosophical and political as well as economic thought. In particular, she links Marx’s concept of money with some of his other key concepts, such as ‘alienation’ and ‘abstract labour’. Offering a comprehensive survey of Marx’s writings on money, Nelson concludes by reviewing commentaries and controversies on the subject since his time.” From the book: “Marx’s Concept of Money” by Anitra Nelson.