[OPE] the composition and definition of the list

> Ja! Ja! Ja! No, not insulted. But it’s true. I’m not a Marxist. I think that I’m not
> the only one in this list that is not a Marxist.
 
 
Hi Alejandro:
 
It's true - you're not the only one.
 
You should talk to Michael Eldred.
 
Also - as he likes to frequently remind us - Jurriaan does not consider himself to
be a Marxist.
 
There's also Steve Keen (who isn't receiving postings at this time): he wouldn't
consider himself to be a Marxist (he's a heterodox - Post-Keynesian - economist).
 
Then, there are members like:
 
- Gil Skillman (who, also, isn't receiving postings now) who _does_ consider
himself to be a Marxist, but - like yourself - is a market socialist.
 
- Gary Mongiovi who _might_ consider himself a Marxian (like Sraffa did) - he is a
surplus approach economist.
 
 
> By the way, since the main criterion that keeps us together here is Socialism or Post-capitalism,
> why this list is defined as Marxist?
 
 
Actually, that's _not_ the "main criterion that keeps us together."
 
The most succinct statement of who we are is given in the archives:
http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/ope/archive:
 
"OPE-L (Outline on Political Economy list) is a small, closed list of
Marxists who have been discussing controversial issues on political
economy since September, 1995".
 
So - although we frequently discuss both Marx and socialism - the
list is not *defined* by that: what "keeps us together" is a commitment
to discuss - as comrades in a collaborative group - *controversial
issues in political economy*.
 
As for there being a few members who aren't Marxist, I don't think
that hurts us. Rather, that friction can help to stimulate further
discussion. Nevertheless, I don't think that there would be support
on the list at this time for opening the doors to many other non-Marxists.
 
In solidarity, Jerry

_______________________________________________
ope mailing list
ope@lists.csuchico.edu
https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/ope
Received on Fri Dec 5 04:57:25 2008