Historical materialism and the economics of Karl Marx pdf

Historical materialism and the economics of Karl Marx

Author: Benedetto Croce – Translator: C. M. Meredith

HISTORICAL MATERIALISM AND THE ECONOMICS OF KARL MARX

From the book

Das Kapital an abstract investigation: His society is not this or that society: Treats only of capitalist society: Assumption of equivalence between value and labor: Varying views about the meaning of this law: Is a postulate or standard of comparison: Question as to the value of this standard: Is not a moral ideal: Treats of the economic society in so far as is a working society: Shows special way in which problem solved in capitalist society: Marx’s deductions from it 48

II. MARX’S PROBLEM AND PURE ECONOMICS (GENERAL ECONOMIC SCIENCE)

Marxian economics, not general economic science and labor-value, not a general concept of value: Engels’ rejection of general economic law: abstract concepts used by Marx are concepts of pure economics: relation of economic psychology to pure economics: pure economics does not destroy history or progress 66

III. CONCERNING THE LIMITATION OF THE MATERIALISTIC THEORY OF HISTORY

Historical materialism a canon of historical interpretation: Canon does not imply anticipation of results: Question as to how Marx and Engels understood it: Difficulty of ascertaining correctly and method of doing so: How Marxians understand it: Their metaphysical tendency: Instances of confusion of concepts in their writings: Historical materialism has not a special philosophy immanent within it 77

IV. OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN THE FACE OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Socialism and free trade, not scientific deductions: Obsolete metaphysics of old theory of free trade: Basis of modern free trade theories not strictly scientific though only possible one: The desirable is not science nor the practicable: Scientific law only applicable under certain conditions: Element of daring in all action 93

V. OF ETHICAL JUDGMENT IN THE 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 106

VI. CONCLUSION

Recapitulation: 1. Justification of Marxian economics as comparative sociological economics: 2. Historical materialism is simply a canon of historical interpretation: 3. Marxian social program, not a pure science: 4. Marxism neither intrinsically moral nor anti-moral 115