From: Gerald A. Levy (Gerald_A_Levy@MSN.COM)
Date: Mon Mar 15 2004 - 08:07:54 EST
Hi Andy. Thanks for biting. A couple of short points. > While it can have a very broad connotation, in the 1999 paper I used the > term 'new dialectics' because it embraces the work of T.Smith, Geert > Reuten/M.Williams and Chris. My basic point in the paper is that new > dialectics correctly stresses the need to develop, or dialectically > derive, concepts from abstract and simple to concrete and complex. Patrick Murray is also grouped by Robert Albritton as being an advocate of "The New Dialectics." To understand why see Murray's "Things Fall Apart: Historical Dialectics and the Critique of Political Economy" in Albritton R. and Simoulidis, J. (eds.) (2003) _New Dialectics and Political Economy_. You write above that "new dialectics correctly stresses the need to develop, to dialectically derive, concepts ...." I think this formulation is misleading since it suggests that they as a group believe that the "method of inquiry" should be dialectical. This is a position that Murray explicitly rejects (Ibid, pp. 160-1). Chris, I think, shares Murray's view that "the method of inquiry must take its lead from the object being investigated." This represents a point of contrast to "materialist dialectics", doesn't it? > I would see the tradition in part developed and inspired by Ben Fine as > compatible with materialist dialectics. [...] Alfredo's work is another > good example. Alfredo first introduced me to both new dialectics and > materialist dialectics (though we seem to disagree about many things > philosophical). Well ... if you seem to disagree about many things philosophical with Alfredo, shouldn't you also disagree with many philosophical positions advanced by Fine? After all, their positions can't be so far apart since they are co-authors (of the fourth edition of _Marx's Capital_) and Fine wrote that the 2 of them developed "a mutual and common understanding of Marx's political economy." Doesn't this imply -- indeed require -- a mutual and common understanding of Marx's method and philosophy? In solidarity, Jerry
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Mar 17 2004 - 00:00:01 EST