Historical Materialism And The Economics Of Karl Marx

Historical materialism and the economics of Karl Marx is a philosophical essay about the ideas of Karl Marx by Italian philosopher and politician Benedetto Croce. Contents: "CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I- CONCERNING THE SCIENTIFIC FORM OF HISTORICAL MATERIALISM 1. Labriola implies that historical materialism is not a philosophy of history: Materialistic theory of History as stated by Labriola not an attempt to establish a law of history."

Historical materialism is what is called a fashionable subject. The theory came into being fifty years ago, and for a time remained obscure and limited; but during the last six or seven years it has rapidly attained great fame and an extensive literature, which is daily increasing, has grown up around it. It is not my intention to write once again the account, already given many times, of the origin of this doctrine; nor to restate and criticise the now well-known passages in which Marx and Engels asserted the theory, nor the different views of its opponents, its supporters, its exponents, and its correctors and corruptors. My object is merely to submit to my colleagues some few remarks concerning the doctrine, taking it in the form in which it appears in a recent book by Professor Antonio Labriola, of the University of Rome. For many reasons, it does not come within my province to praise Labriola's book. But I cannot help saying as a needful explanation, that it appears to me to be the fullest and most adequate treatment of the question. The book is free from pedantry and learned tattle, whilst it shows in every line signs of the author's complete knowledge of all that has been written on the subject: a book, in short, which saves the annoyance of controversy with erroneous and exaggerated opinions, which in it appear as superseded. It has a grand opportunity in Italy, where the materialistic theory of history is known almost solely in the spurious form bestowed on it by an ingenious professor of economics, who even pretends to be its inventor.

The articles comprising this book stem from Croce's reflections on an essay on the materialist conception of history sent to him in 1895 by his former teacher, Antonio Labriola, whose lectures on moral philosophy Croce had attended at the University of Rome in 1885, and who can claim credit for having converted Trotsky to Marxism. The essay stimulated Croce to write a number of articles on socialist literature and economics that were gathered together and published as Materialismo Storico ed Economia Marxistica in 1899.

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I- CONCERNING THE SCIENTIFIC FORM OF HISTORICAL MATERIALISM 1. Labriola implies that historical materialism is not a philosophy of history: Materialistic theory of History as stated by Labriola not an attempt to establish a law of history: This contrasted with theories of monists, and teleologists: Engels' statement that it is a new method erroneous 2. Historical materialism a mass of new data of which historian becomes conscious 3. Questions as to relations between historical materialism and socialism; Absolute morality a necessary postulate of socialism CHAPTER II CONCERNING HISTORICAL MATERIALISM VIEWED AS A SCIENCE OF SOCIAL ECONOMICS 1. Relation between Professor Stammler's book on historical materialism and Marxism: Distinction between pure economics and general historical economics: CHAPTER III CONCERNING THE INTERPRETATION AND CRITICISM OF SOME CONCEPTS OF MARXISM I. OF THE SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM IN MARX'S 'DAS KAPITAL' Das Kapital an abstract investigation: His society is not this or that society: Treats only of capitalist society: Assumption of equivalence between value and labour: Is not a moral ideal: Marx's deductions from it II. MARX'S PROBLEM AND PURE ECONOMICS (GENERAL ECONOMIC SCIENCE) Marxian economics not general economic science and labour-value not a general concept of value: Engels' rejection of general economic law: relation of economic psychology to pure economics: pure economics does not destroy history or progress III. CONCERNING THE LIMITATION OF THE MATERIALISTIC THEORY OF HISTORY Historical materialism a canon of historical interpretation: Question as to how Marx and Engels understood it: Their metaphysical tendency IV. OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN FACE OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS Socialism and free trade not scientific deductions: Obsolete metaphysics of old theory of free trade: The desirable is not science nor the practicable: Scientific law only applicable under certain conditions: Element of daring in all action V. OF ETHICAL JUDGMENT IN FACE OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS Meaning of Marx's phrase the 'impotence of morality' and his remark that morality condemns what has been condemned by history: Profundity of Marx's philosophy immaterial: Kant's position not surpassed VI. CONCLUSION Recapitulation: 1. Justification of Marxian economics as comparative sociological economics: 2. Historical materialism simply a canon of historical interpretation: 3. Marxian social programme not a pure science: 4. Marxism neither intrinsically moral nor anti-moral CHAPTER IV RECENT INTERPRETATIONS OF THE MARXIAN THEORY OF VALUE AND CONTROVERSIES CONCERNING THEM I Labriola's criticism of method and conclusions of preceeding essays answered II Meaning of phrase crisis in Marxianism: Sorel's view of equivalence of value and labour mostly in agreement with view put forward above: Surplus product same as surplus value CHAPTER V A CRITICISM OF THE MARXIAN LAW OF THE FALL IN THE RATE OF PROFITS Interpretation here given assumes acceptance of Marx's main principles: Necessary decline in rate of profit on hypothesis of technical improvement: Marx assumes that would be an increase of capital: Would be same capital and increase in rate of profits CHAPTER VI ON THE ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE TWO LETTERS TO PROFESSOR V. PARETO I Reasons why the mechanical conception erroneous, economic fact capable of appraisement: Economic datum a fact of human activity: Distinction and connection between pleasure and choice: Economic datum a fact of will: Knowledge a necessary presupposition of will II Disagreement (1) about method (2) postulates: (1) Nothing arbitrary in economic method, analogy of classificatory sciences erroneous: (2) Metaphysical postulate that facts of human activity same as physical facts erroneous: Definition of practical activity in so far as admits of definition: Moral and economic activity and approval: Economic and moral remorse: Economic scale of values INDEX OF NAMES

Excerpt from Historical Materialism and the Economics of Karl Marx The Essays in this volume, as will be apparent, have all Of them had an occasional origin. They bear evident traces Of particular controversy and contain much criticism Of authors who are hardly, if at all, known in this country. Their author thought it worth while to collect them in one volume and it has been, 1 am sure, worth while to have them translated into English, because though written on different occasions and in different contro versies they have all the same purpose. They are an attempt to make Clear by philosophical criticism the real purpose and value Of Marx's work. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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