Karl Marx is another one of those who would probably make it into the list of the top three to five best-known philosophers. He was, along with Friedrich Engels (who also makes an appearance in the book), the founder of communism. This makes him a deeply divisive figure, although no one can argue with the immense influence he has had on world history; whether for good or ill is a conversation that continues to this day. The current US president has even called the threat of communism a ‘mortal threat to American liberty’, greater than the danger the country faced in World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or the September 11 attacks. Arguably, his perceptive critique of capitalism in the aptly named Das Kapital is his most important contribution to political and economic thought. What is also sometimes overlooked is the fact that he lived in the UK for over 30 years before being buried in Highgate Cemetery.

I first meet him in the pub, and we soon become good drinking buddies. After that, wherever there’s beer, there’s usually Marx—including the time he and I get pissed watching the news of the January 6th U.S. Capitol attack. Never one to shy away from an argument, he is nevertheless an endearing, avuncular type who becomes a recurring character in the narrative.