[OPE-L:7246] hermeneutics (was: fundamentalism)
From: Geert REUTEN (reuten@fee.uva.nl)
Date: Thu May 23 2002 - 21:29:28 EDT
Re Jerry [7245]; Fred [7243]
I agree with all of Jerry's 7245 (including about Fred's important
concern about applied empirical analysis).
The question of exploitation is important. However, what always puzzles
me about a Marx hermeneutics is Marx's own development. It is obvious
that Marx in the course of his research life was prepared to change is
views (this imo marks the scientist). Why then -- even from Marx's own
perspective -- would we have to stick to _for example_ the
value-price transformation of a manuscript written prior to Capital, Vol
I, the latter being a text that Marx kept on revising especially also its
value-theoretical parts? This does not prove anything about the Cap III
manuscripts, but it is just implausible that Marx -- would he have
returned to them -- would have left them untouched.
Speaking for myself, I think that we should approach Marx historically,
because he -- like anybody else -- deserves that. On the other hand, any
scientific endeavor is served by development of thought. If you take
seriously Marx's method of internal critique (which, I think, is
ultimately, the most succinct part of his method, and a part that all
Marxians can agree upon), then internal critique should also be levelled
at Marx and all important Marxian writings after Marx.
Internal critique (of critical thought, and of the capitalist system --
the current capitalist system) also serves best the emancipation of
all).
I am an enormously great admirer of Marx's Grundrisse or of his Capital
I from a 1858 or a 1867 perspective -- or of his Capital III
manuscripts from a 1863-65 perspective. Even from a 2002 perspective I
think that Marx's methodological foundations (historical materialism,
internal critique, and systematic dialectic -- however immature the
latter) are very fruitful. Marxian thought (in contradistinction to
Marx's thought) is served by a conjoint further development (in
contradistinction to a hermeneutic) of method and content.
Comradely,
Geert
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