Re: [OPE-L] The Legacy of Nobuo Okishio

From: ??? (rieudm@CNU.AC.KR)
Date: Fri Mar 25 2005 - 21:03:14 EST


Jerry,
As a visiting scholar, I went to Kobe University ( Japan ) where prof. Okishio studied and worked for more than 40 years. 
Unfortunately, he had already been in hospital for a long time when I arrived there.
He finally passed away in Nov.8,2003.
Although I have written a manuscript on Okishio's theory (http://business.cnu.ac.kr/~dmryu/OT.pdf), 
it is beyond my ability to estimate Okishio's entire work.

To my knowledge, prof. Okishio consistently argued for Marxian political economy as a "Marxist" unlike prof. Morishima.
I still remember his impressive lecture in Korea when I was a graduate student. At that time, he emphasized that "Good Marxian economists
should learn form even burgeoise economists to analyze capitalism and present an alternative."
Already in late 1950's, he almost completed his theoretical framwork itself including "Fundamental Marxain Thorem" & "Okishio Theorem" 
in the papers written in Japanese.

Last year, Okishio's last book, "Economics and the problems of Modern age: messasge from Nobuo Okishio"
was edited and published in Japan (of course, in Japanese). 

Rough translation of the chapters are: 
<Part 1: Revitalizing Marx in Modern Age>
1. Modern Implications of Labor Theory of Value
2. 15 Propositions on Vlaue
3. Dialogue with prof. Makoto Itoh
<Part 2: Is Keynes Still Alive?>
1.Keynes's Conception of Capitalism
2. Keynes's Effective Demand and Technical Progress
3. Dialogue with prof. Hayasaka
<Part3: Does Competition Make Profit Vanish?>
1.Surplus Value and the Introduction of New Technology
2. Marx's Cycle of Profit
3. Competition and Production Price 

Actually, chapter 3 of part 3 is originated from his last paper in Cambridge Journal of Eonomics(2000).
It is interesting that Okishio finally returned to the traditional problem of competition and profit since Adam Smith. 

Sincerely

Dong-Min Rieu

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <glevy@PRATT.EDU>
To: <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU>
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 8:48 PM
Subject: [OPE-L] The Legacy of Nobuo Okishio


> 
> > I don't know if we on this list have taken note of another Japanese
> > economist, Nobuo Okishio's death in Nov., 2003. Although Okishio tried
> > to use various tools of "burgeoisie" economics, he was a "Marxian"
> > economist in every sense of the term.
> 
> Good point, Rieu!  I don't think that Okishio's death has been noted or
> discussed on  OPE-L.   Even more dramatically, though,  it doesn't seem
> to have been noted or discussed on _any_ Internet mailing list!  More
> startling still is that, when conducting several advanced 'google'
> searches, I couldn't find _any_ obituary or article that even mentioned
> his death!  This is certainly ironic since one of the legacies of Okishio
> is that his writings helped to focus the attention of  international
> exchanges among Marxian economists.  Still more ironic is that we have
> mentioned the 'Okishio Theorem'  on OPE-L on- and off since his  death
> without taking notice of the fact that the man behind the Theorem had
> passed away.
> 
> Why didn't our Japanese comrades notify us of this at the time?  When
> did you first learn of his death?
> 
> What discussion has there been in Korea concerning the legacy of Okishio?
> 
> A question for all: other than the Okishio Theorem, what should we
> remember  him for?
> 
> In solidarity, Jerry
> 


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