[OPE-L:5709] Re: Re: Re: Re: de-bunking the de-bunk

From: Steve Keen (s.keen@uws.edu.au)
Date: Thu May 31 2001 - 19:22:38 EDT


Rakesh,

as Jerry can tell you, I have suggested several times that I'd like to 
leave the list--and I have done so on two occasions--only to have him and 
others implore me to put my oar back in again.

I also regard myself as a scholar on Marx, so regardless of what I think of 
the scholarship of others--or they of mine--we share a common interest.

Similarly, as you probably know if you've read the relevant chapter from 
Debunking, I make some very strong claims about the state of Marxian 
scholarship there (though no stronger than I make many times more often 
about neoclassical scholarship in the other relevant 12 chapters!). My 
presence on this list (and its marxism predecessor) gave me the basis on 
which to make those claims; I would have been talking through my hat to 
allege that marxist economists were 'still trying to solve or avoid the 
transformation problem' had I not observed the internet debates over the 
last ten years.

I have also met some extremely good intellects with whom I agree through 
this process--Chris Sciabarra, Ajit, Gil, etc.--and I also respect the 
intellects of those with whom I disagree--Allin, Jerry, etc.

And in case you haven't noticed, normally I'm not fighting. I'm just 
sitting on the banks of the river, watching the Black Knight attempt to 
bite the passing traffic.

Steve

At 05:01 AM 6/1/01 Friday, you wrote:
> From Steve's 5698
>
>
> From my point of view, these arguments feel a bit like fighting the
>>Black Knight in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". From my point of 
>>view--and from the point of view of the historians of economic thought 
>>who refereed my papers on this issue--I've already cut off both legs (the 
>>belief that the LTV is Marx's fundamental theory of value, and the belief 
>>that the LTV is consistent with his theory of value). Now VFT and TSS 
>>interpretations are threatening to bite me to death. Sorry, but I'd 
>>prefer to engage with other heterodox economists who don't share these hangups.
>
>I appreciate your presence here Steve, but if you would prefer to engage 
>other hetero economists, why are you on this list? It would seem to me 
>that you attach some importance to having your VFT, TSS and other so 
>called orthodox Marxists opponents shown to be wrong. I have only once in 
>my life attempted to show that the hare krishnas had misinterpreted the 
>bhagvat gita (that is they had misinterpreted what was meant by always 
>keeping krishna on your lips). But you do not seem to find your opponents 
>to be beneath engagement; I am not subscribed to the hare krishna list serve.
>
>At any rate who is the bigger fool for continuing to fight? the black 
>knight or his opponent. Obviously the latter, you have missed the real 
>point of the Monty Python joke. So if you really think we value theoretic 
>marxists are the black knight, wouldn't the joke be on you for drawing 
>your sword on this list repeatedly?
>
>Rakesh
>
>

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