Into The Depths Of History Research On Marx S Historical Materialism

- Historical Materialism Series - This original and comprehensive study explores the formation, development and later 20th century enrichments on Marx's historical materialism theories. It innovatively interprets its formation period between 1835-1845 which has always been the object of heated discussions. The author gives special attention on the thoughts Marx and Engels had similarities and even agreement with their contemporaries especially Feuerbach and followers of Hegel. Naturally each philosopher has his own specific formation which applies for Marx, and his unique differences with his contemporaries at the certain point of time rapidly led him to establish the materialist concept of history. Recently we see a revival of interest in the nature and utility of this discovery by Marx. Debate amongst historians and philosophers on Marx's assertions on the role of man as the subject of history also the relations between Marx's practice view and historical materialism is an important focus of the book which has an impressive record three editions within ten years. Chen Xianda passionately argues, "Social science can fully become as accurate as natural science. To do this, the first thing is to determine its nature accurately, that is, to have a scientific understanding of the macroscopic laws of history. Different from living organisms, the social organism has its unique laws. The various systems in society with their special structures and functions are interrelated and constitute an indivisible whole. It is impossible to understand society without grasping the laws of social development and without analyzing the nature and complex causality in social phenomena. However, human understanding of society cannot rest on the qualitative analysis, and quantitative analysis should be conducted wherever it is possible. With the emergence of world-wide technological revolutions, the spread of the system theories, control/simulation theory, information theory and even mathematical methods being applied into social sciences provides conditions for the accurate grasp of the quantitative determination of social phenomena. The mutual permeation between natural science and social science is a progressive tendency, and Marxist philosophy researchers should face the world and the contemporary era, and summarize the new achievements in those technological revolutions. The achievements in natural science enrich and affirm instead of reducing the scientific character of the materialist conception of history. No methods offered by natural science can replace the materialist conception of history, and history has proved that the methods of positivism and empiricism were unsuitable." The author is among the leading researchers of history and theories of Marxism in China, who greatly influenced several important debates in the Chinese academia in the last three decades, including those on Marxist humanism, the role of superstructure, ontology and practical materialism. The generous appendix part of the book with six of his famous articles, contains author's important direct contributions to these debates, including his ideas on the present issues of Marxist philosophy in China and the world.

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

First published in 1978, this book rapidly established itself as a classic of modern Marxism. Cohen's masterful application of advanced philosophical techniques in an uncompromising defense of historical materialism commanded widespread admiration. In the ensuing twenty years, the book has served as a flagship of a powerful intellectual movement--analytical Marxism. In this expanded edition, Cohen offers his own account of the history, and the further promise, of analytical Marxism. He also expresses reservations about traditional historical materialism, in the light of which he reconstructs the theory, and he studies the implications for historical materialism of the demise of the Soviet Union.

First published in English in 1926, this work by Nikolai Bukharin, a highly influential Marxist and Soviet Politician who would later become one of the most famous victims of Stalin’s show trials, expands upon Karl Marx’s theory of historical materialism. Offering a Marxist interpretation of sociology, this reissue is important not only from a sociological and economic perspective, but is also extremely valuable as a socio-historical document of contemporary thought in the Soviet Union in the years following the Bolshevik revolution.

Through a discussion with current perspectives in philosophy of history and a rigorous reading of his oeuvre this book highlights the possibilities of the best Marx in terms of his capacity to account for the development of spatiotemporally complex societies.

Marx's theory of history is often regarded as the most enduring and fruitful aspect of his intellectual legacy. His "historical materialism" has been the inspiration for some of the best historical writing in the works of scholars such as Eric Hobsbawm, E.P.Thompson, Rodney Hilton and Robert Brenner. S.H. Rigby establishes Marx's claims about social structure and historical change, discusses their use in his own and his followers' writings, and assesses the validity of his theories. He argues that Marx's social theories were profoundly contradictory and that Marxism has proved most useful when it is seen as a source of questions, concepts and hypotheses rather than as a philosophy of historical development.

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."