From: Paul Bullock (paulbullock@EBMS-LTD.CO.UK)
Date: Tue Mar 21 2006 - 11:55:58 EST
Thanks David, and Diego and Jerry previously, Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: <dlaibman@JJAY.CUNY.EDU> To: <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU> Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 1:42 PM Subject: Re: [OPE-L] Marxian trivia question > For Paul Bullock (and everyone else, of course!) > > These references are rather old, but they may still be useful. Dirk > Struik, a Marxist, mathematician at MIT, and *Science & Society* > founding editor, wrote two articles in *Science & Society*: "Concerning > Mathematics," Vol. 1 (1936), beginning p. 81; "Marx and Mathematics," > Vol. 12 (1948), beginning p. 181. > > (Information from an old index, which does not give too many details. > Unfortunately, *Science &s Society* has lost its office space at John > Jay College, and our back files are all in storage, so I can't look at > actual copies of these issues.) > > All best, > > David > David Laibman, Editor, S&S > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > My recall is that he was working on providing a foundation for > the calculus but it is questionably whether his results have any > advantages over the work of Cauchy. > > -----Original Message----- > From: OPE-L [mailto:OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU] On Behalf Of Paul Bullock > Sent: 19 March 2006 21:19 > To: OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU > Subject: Re: [OPE-L] Marxian trivia question > > Which independent discovery did marx make in mathematics. 1000 pages of > notes were left, published in the USSR in Russian, and a selection was once > pub'd in English by ( I think New Park Pubs in London). But if anyone can > give me refs to any articles that actually look at this work I should be > grateful. > > Paul Bullock > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jerry Levy" <Gerald_A_Levy@MSN.COM> > To: <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU> > Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 12:30 PM > Subject: Re: [OPE-L] Marxian trivia question > > > > [Tuesday, March 14 marked the 123rd anniversary of the death > > of Karl Marx. In the year 2117 the world will remember Marx > > on the occasion of the 234th anniversary.] > > > > A: It will be 111 years before the anniversary of Marx's death > > once again will numerically be in an exactly ascending sequence. > > > > In solidarity, Jerry > > > > > > Frederick Engels' Speech at the Grave of Karl Marx > > Highgate Cemetery, London. March 17, 1883 > > On the 14th of March, at a quarter to three in the afternoon, the > > greatest living thinker ceased to think. He had been left alone for > > scarcely two minutes, and when we came back we found him in his > > armchair, peacefully gone to sleep -- but for ever. > > An immeasurable loss has been sustained both by the militant > > proletariat of Europe and America, and by historical science, in the > > death of this man. The gap that has been left by the departure of > > this mighty spirit will soon enough make itself felt. > > Just as Darwin discovered the law of development or organic nature, > > so Marx discovered the law of development of human history: the > > simple fact, hitherto concealed by an overgrowth of ideology, that > > mankind must first of all eat, drink, have shelter and clothing, > > before it can pursue politics, science, art, religion, etc.; that > > therefore the production of the immediate material means, and > > consequently the degree of economic development attained by a given > > people or during a given epoch, form the foundation upon which the > > state institutions, the legal conceptions, art, and even the ideas > > on religion, of the people concerned have been evolved, and in the > > light of which they must, therefore, be explained, instead of vice > > versa, as had hitherto been the case. > > But that is not all. Marx also discovered the special law of motion > > governing the present-day capitalist mode of production, and the > > bourgeois society that this mode of production has created. The > > discovery of surplus value suddenly threw light on the problem, in > > trying to solve which all previous investigations, of both bourgeois > > economists and socialist critics, had been groping in the dark. > > Two such discoveries would be enough for one lifetime. Happy the man > > to whom it is granted to make even one such discovery. But in every > > single field which Marx investigated -- and he investigated very > > many fields, none of them superficially -- in every field, even in > > that of mathematics, he made independent discoveries. > > Such was the man of science. But this was not even half the man. > > Science was for Marx a historically dynamic, revolutionary force. > > However great the joy with which he welcomed a new discovery in some > > theoretical science whose practical application perhaps it was as > > yet quite impossible to envisage, he experienced quite another kind > > of joy when the discovery involved immediate revolutionary changes > > in industry, and in historical development in general. For example, > > he followed closely the development of the discoveries made in the > > field of electricity and recently those of Marcel Deprez. > > For Marx was before all else a revolutionist. His real mission in > > life was to contribute, in one way or another, to the overthrow of > > capitalist society and of the state institutions which it had > > brought into being, to contribute to the liberation of the modern > > proletariat, which he was the first to make conscious of its own > > position and its needs, conscious of the conditions of its > > emancipation. Fighting was his element. And he fought with a > > passion, a tenacity and a success such as few could rival. His work > > on the first Rheinische Zeitung (1842), the Paris Vorwarts (1844), > > the Deutsche Brusseler Zeitung (1847), the Neue Rheinische Zeitung > > (1848-49), the New York Tribune (1852-61), and, in addition to > > these, a host of militant pamphlets, work in organisations in Paris, > > Brussels and London, and finally, crowning all, the formation of the > > great International Working Men's Association -- this was indeed an > > achievement of which its founder might well have been proud even if > > he had done nothing else. > > And, consequently, Marx was the best hated and most calumniated man > > of his time. Governments, both absolutist and republican, deported > > him from their territories. Bourgeois, whether conservative or ultra- > > democratic, vied with one another in heaping slanders upon him. All > > this he brushed aside as though it were a cobweb, ignoring it, > > answering only when extreme necessity compelled him. And he died > > beloved, revered and mourned by millions of revolutionary fellow > > workers -- from the mines of Siberia to California, in all parts of > > Europe and America -- and I make bold to say that, though he may > > have had many opponents, he had hardly one personal enemy. > > His name will endure through the ages, and so also will his work. > > > > >
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