RE: [OPE] The English sub-titling of 'Capital'?

I think there is no conclusions to draw from these various minor
changes in titles and sub-titles.

What is important is that the French version - the last from Marx own
hand - on some points are different from the German version, so when
discussion of what Marx meant in the sense of internal consistency
etc. the French version should be consulted.

I learned this lesson on the question of "complex and simple labour"
- where the French version on this issue, although roughly similar to
the German editions is significantly different.

I became aware of this difference reading Rubin - who like most early
Russian Marxist used the Russian translation based on the *French*
Capital Vol. 1 (or maybe the French edition directly!). What should
be the same passage was markedly different - and it was not the
translation - it was the French Capital that was substantially different.

But on any major issues "haunting" Marxist economics (transformation
problem, productive and unproductive labour, commodity vs. fiat money
etc.) - the editions are equal, the solution to the problem must be
sought in creative reflection/confrontation on various theories -
and not the least - the stylized facts of economic reality.

Just my 2 cents

Anders E

At 15:26 26.05.2009, Paul Zarembka wrote:
>Cannot the titling of the English edition be attributed simply to a
>simplification, as reflected by Marx himself in his French
>edition. Chris noted the titling of the French edition, but, Jerry,
>you do not seem to have considered the implication.
>
>The French titling is not the same simplification as the English -
>and we should perhaps discuss that - but my point is that we can
>lighten up on Aveling, Moore, and Engels if we recall that the last
>edition of Capital for which Marx himself had a more role was the
>French edition.
>
>For myself, I think Chris didn't need to bring in the issue of value
>form, particularly since he recalled for us the French titling.
>
>Paul Z.
>
>--On 5/26/2009 12:20 PM +0100 GERALD LEVY wrote:
>
>>a sub-title which indicates that a work is a critique political
>>economy (economics) is surely not the same as the modified title.
>>[Perhaps Engels thought that there was too much emphasis in the title
>>on political economy?]. It's hard, probably impossible, to know
>>what they were thinking about when this change was made.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>(Vol.23) THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF 9-11 Seven Stories Press soft, 2nd ed. 2008
>(Vol.24) TRANSITIONS IN LATIN AMERICA ~~~Research in Political Economy~~~
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PZarembka
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Received on Tue May 26 10:06:32 2009