Re: [OPE-L] 'primitive' or 'original', etc.

From: Jerry Levy (Gerald_A_Levy@MSN.COM)
Date: Sun Sep 10 2006 - 12:45:09 EDT


> The development of markets occurred
> hand-in-hand with the development of public authorities and contracting
> institutions that defined/protected property rights, thus, state and
>  market  were "twins" from the very start.

 Hi Jurriaan:

 I agree that the original/primitive accumulation of capital was a process
in which the state played an essential role.  So, too,  with the
accumulation of capital proper.  Capital and the state continue as "twins"
to this very day! One consequence of  Marx's inability to write the proposed
book on The State in the 6-book-plan is that it  reinforced an unfortunate
tendency among Marxists to downplay the theoretical and historical role of
the state within the cmp.  This has had unfortunate political consequences
as well, including an unnecessarily wide divide among (most) anarchists
and (most) Marxists.  Yet another consequence of the "one-sided Marxism"
which Mike L subjected to critique in his book _Beyond Capital_: we must
go "beyond capital"   not only to consider the subject (capitalism, not
merely  capital) from  the standpoint of wage-labor but also to
systematically
consider the role of the state,  trade, and the world market.  Maybe Mike is
going to write the sequels?  Probably not -- he's already got a full plate,
a hectic schedule, and other commitments.  Geert and Mike W took a shot at
it
with their book _Value-Form and the State_ and Tony S has been working
on the subject of the world market for some time.  It would seem, at least
to me,  that the value-form  Marxists and the "Hegelian-Marxists" are in the
forefront  of these research endeavors.  What a contrast to the sterile
research
focus of some others which asserts that "the point"  is to interpret Marx
"correctly".

 In solidarity, Jerry


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