[OPE-L:1482] Re: Marx's maths

akliman@acl.nyit.edu (akliman@acl.nyit.edu)
Wed, 13 Mar 1996 09:50:55 -0800

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An interesting discussion of Marx's Mathematical Manuscripts was done by
Ron Brokmeyer about a decade ago, in "Max's Unknown Mathematical Manuscripts
and the Fetsih of High-Tech." It was published by News & Letters
(59 E. Van Buren, Rm. 707, Chicago, IL 60605 USA), and later in the
_Quarterly Journal of Ideology_.

Brokmeyer links up Marx's critique of mathematicians' method to the
way human thought and computer algorithms are being equated today.
And very important, I think, is Brokmeyer's discussion of Marx's
view that the real process of differentiation is not how Newton (e.g.)
portrayed it, but is a "negation of the negation."

One major reason this is important is that many have claimed that negation
of the negation is not part of Marx's concept of dialectics (how they
manage to ignore or distort Ch. 32 of _Capital_, Vol. I is a story in
itself), and the Stalinists removed this concept from the list of
"laws" of dialectics in Russia.

Andrew Kliman