From: Jurriaan Bendien (adsl675281@TISCALI.NL)
Date: Sat Nov 11 2006 - 08:00:57 EST
Jerry, Dr Bina's note is a diatribe against me - bit of a surprise, as I never attacked him, and I've really nothing against him or his arguments either, which have nothing to do with my dispute with Rakesh. I'm surprised also that Jerry would forward this rant to the list rather than to me personally. Dr Bina and I do not even know each other, so he's hardly qualified to pontificate on my character or lack of it. My criticism was directed at Rakesh, who argued that Marx experienced something like an "epistemological break" after reading Quesnay, and at the idea that the theory of economic reproduction, which shows how the capitalist mode of reproduction reproduces its own initial conditions and thus perpetuate itself, is the necessary foundation for the explanation of economic crises. I fail to see how talking about oil rents all of a sudden illuminates the issue, and I suspected Rakesh was just drawing a pomo pastiche. He corrected me on this subsequently, though failed to explain what oil rents had to do with it. If Dr Bina has cogent arguments to offer in criticism of what I have said, I will respond to them, it's no problem. If however he only curses and swears at me, I see no point in replying, and I don't think swearing and cursing at list members is welcome on OPE-L list. There are of course many academics who like to flaunt their authority and their important friends, but if they are unwilling to debate the issue in clear language, their so-called "authority" is suspect. Dr Bina can huff all he likes about "our collective reputation", but he doesn't do his own reputation any good with his outbursts of vitriol. At best that proves he hasn't got any cogent arguments to offer, in regard to what was being said. My advice is: cool down, cut out the abuse, and don't make a mountain out of a molehill. Jurriaan
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Thu Nov 30 2006 - 00:00:06 EST