The Crisis In Historical Materialism

Critical theorist Aronowitz (sociology, CUNY) contends that the centrality of cultural categories, as raised by the feminist, ecology, and racial freedom movements, among others, provides the crucial difference for the late industrial world, demanding a break from the dominant tendencies of Marxism to reduce causality to its economic features. Acidic paper. Paper edition (unseen), $14.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In this provocative and famous book, now substantially revised and with much new material, Stanley Aronowitz lays bare the fundamental logical problems in Marxist theory with respect to nature, gender and race relations, the concept of class, and historical time. Aronowitz has written a stunning book offering an approach towards a new way of thinking about these problems, a book which will be addressed by other Marxist scholars and by students of social and cultural theory in many disciplines.

Combining Marx’s focus upon the totality (and its appearance as capitals in competition) with specific applications in political economy, Following Marx demonstrates how the failure to understand Marx’s method has led astray many who consider themselves Marxists.

The turmoil of 2007-2009 is a crisis of financialised capitalism. This collected volume analyses financialisation by drawing on Marxist and heterodox theory of finance. It examines domestic and international aspects of financialisation, placing the crisis in its appropriate social context.

Drawing on modern philosophy of science, epistemology, economics and sociology, this work retraces Marx’s original multi-disciplinary project and develops its foundations into a modern Marxist paradigm capable of understanding the present crisis and of challenging contemporary capitalism.

Now that Soviet style socialism has collapsed upon itself and liberal capitalism offers itself as the natural, necessary and absolute condition of human social life on a worldwide scale, this book insists that the potentially emancipatory resources of a renewed, and perhaps reconstructed, historical materialism are more relevant in today's world than ever before. Rather than viewing global capitalism as an eluctable natural force, these essays seek to show how a dialectic of power and resistance is at work in the contemporary global political economy, producing and contesting new realities and creating conditions in which new forms of collective self determination become thinkable and materially possible. It will be vital, topical reading for anyone interested in international relations, international political economy, sociology and political theory.

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