Mea culpa Jerry,
As one who often argues that original sources are misread, I clearly misread
your suggestion!
Still, to provide a bit of an answer for the question actually posed, my
"take" on dialectics is that it is in effect the philosophy of dynamics,
whereas most other philosophies are taxonomical in focus. I'll leave a
longer answer until I have time (and until someone challenges the above
sweeping generalisation!).
Cheers,
Steve
>Steve K wrote in [OPE-L:3645]:
>
>> Jerry's challenge is an interesting one: pose what you see as the major
>> contributions of Hegel to Marx's logic (if you're a Hegelian) without
>> defending the position with cites from Marx or Hegel (similarly is you're
>> Althusserian). A subtext is where does following the opposite slant lead you
>> astray.
>
>Thanks for taking up the challenge. But, my suggestion for a "thought
>experiment" did *not* ask you to identify "the major contributions of
>Hegel [or Althusser, JL] to _Marx's_ logic." See below (with emphasis
>added with CAPS]:
>
>> [...] RATHER THAN discussing the influence of Hegel on Marx's method
>> of analysis and Althusser's interpretation of Marx, [...]
>> The problem, simply put, is that it is difficult to move BEYOND OUR
>> INTERPRETATIONS OF WHAT MARX'S METHOD OF ANALYSIS WAS to
>> INDEPENDENTLY determine the merit of different perspectives. [...]
>> Let our Hegelian-Marxists [...] and let our Althusserian-Marxists [...]
>> explain -- *** without making any reference whatsoever to what Marx or
>> Engels or Lenin etc. wrote *** what _specifically_ they view as the
>> major (dare I say "essential"?) positive contributions of HEGELIANISM or
>> ALTHUSSERIANISM are for interpreting SOCIAL REALITY IN GENERAL AND
>> CAPITALISM IN PARTICULAR.
>
>In summary: you answered the question as if I asked you to offer an
>interpretation of the influence of Hegel on MARX. My question, though,
>very deliberately did NOT ask for that (since that is an interpretive
>question on Marx which would have us all running back to Marx and looking
>for quotations). I had a bolder object in mind -- to consider how Hegel
>(or Hegelianism) or Althusser (or Althusserianism) might help us, as
>MarxISTS, better interpret "social reality in general and capitalism in
>particular." Sorry for the misunderstanding, Steve.
>
>You, of course, did advance what you see as the kernel of Hegel's (and
>Marx's) method. I think that, for now, I will let others speak to your
>explanation.
>
>In solidarity,
>
>Jerry
>
>
>
Steve Keen
Senior Lecturer
Economics & Finance
University of Western Sydney
PO Box 555 Campbelltown NSW 2560
Australia
s.keen@uws.edu.au (046) 20-3254 Fax (046) 26-6683
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