>Rakesh, > >You once described me as a "class traitor" (don't you remember?). >Calling supporters of an LTV in general the Black Knight, in the >context of a Monty Python reference, is I would hope a far milder >statement. No Steve, I blurted out rather lamely that you were class traitors after reading five years' worth of criticism of value theoretic Marxists as charlatans and fundamentalist popes--which is clearly how you, Gil and Ajit think of those who find Marx's value theory to be basically sound. Do any of you seriously think such a low estimation has not been at the least implicit in what you have submitted to this list? Yet it seems that your damning criticism of the use value-value dialectic has not been cited by more people than Gil's chapter 5 critique (which raises the question of where you both get the confidence to maintain such views other than from the general bourgeois encouragement for any logical critique of Marx's labor theory of value), and of course every economist knows the correctness of Ajit's argment that Marx would have had to give up his value theory upon comprehension of Bortkiewicz's complete transformation calculation with same integrity with which Frege abandoned his set theory on receipt of Russel's criticism. The point to understand here is that no matter how much your criticisms can be turned against neo classical economics that you have given a radical imprimatur to the burying of Marx will secure you a position in bourgeois economics departments. For someone who, though an ostensible radical, thinks a real life Marxian is a charlatan and a fundamentalist pope there will always be room at the faculty club. The ideological point of the university is not to propagate the ruling class point of view--that's why they have think tanks-- but to defuse revolutionary criticism. There will always be room for rational alternatives to Marx in the university--whether it is so called analytical or "evolutionary" (Bernstein?) marxism or deficit spending, low interest rate Keynesianism or Bourdieuan sociology or left wing Heideggerian metaphysics. That's the nature of the beast. Rakesh > >And for christ's sake, I never said that "the point of his >interventions has been to handicap the Marxian theoretical project." >Bullshit. I am willing to point out where I believe interpretations >of Marx have been illogical and/or untrue to Marx. > >Steve >At 10:13 AM 6/1/01 Friday, you wrote: >>>Rakesh wrote in [5703]: >>> >>>> I appreciate your presence here Steve, but if >>>> you would prefer to engage other hetero >>>> economists, why are you on this list? >>> >>>Steve is on this list for the same reason others >>>are: to exchange ideas, learn from each other, >>>sharpen our own perspectives, and challenge >>>our own preconceptions. >> >>Jerry, that intent does not come across if your opponent is >>characterized in the ridiculed form of the black knight. >> >> >>> We benefit enormously >>>from the presence of members like Steve K and >>>Gil and Gary and Ajit for they force us to >>>explain what we might otherwise have taken >>>for granted. >> >>I disagee that much of benefit was derived from five years of >>discussion of the the putative logical problems in chapter five and >>the alleged mistake of not thinking out the implications of the >>value-use value dialectic. Gary did not respond to your or my >>questions about the methodology of comparative statics. I can't get >>anything out of Ajit's post because he now refuses to answer my >>responses since this would be a waste of his time. >> >> >>> Coming from different intellectual >>>traditions, they also bring to the discussion a >>>knowledge of a literature that we might not be >>>as well versed in. We are lucky to have them >>>as members. >> >>I think they have effectively derailed what was supposed to be the >>point of this list--to extend Marx's unfinished project into a >>theory of the world market, the state, central bank policy, etc. As >>Steve said, the point of his interventions has been to handicap the >>Marxian theoretical project. >> >> >> >>Rakesh > >Home Page: http://www.debunking-economics.com > http://bus.uws.edu.au/steve-keen/ > http://www.stevekeen.net >Dr. Steve Keen >Senior Lecturer >Economics & Finance >Campbelltown, Building 11 Room 30, >School of Economics and Finance >UNIVERSITY WESTERN SYDNEY >LOCKED BAG 1797 >PENRITH SOUTH DC NSW 1797 >Australia >s.keen@uws.edu.au 61 2 4620-3016 Fax 61 2 4626-6683 >Home 02 9558-8018 Mobile 0409 716 088
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sun Jul 15 2001 - 10:56:27 EDT