Dive into the intriguing realm of political Marxism, where historical development and class conflict take center stage. Explore how economic activities are shaped by societal factors, revealing the coercive dynamics of capitalism compared to pre-capitalist systems. Unpack the evolution of capitalism within the British Empire, linking labor exploitation to modern imperialist interpretations. Discover the complex interplay between economics and political power in labor dynamics, challenging entrenched binaries that influence radical thought.
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Economic Activity Shapes Society
Economic activity patterns are not universal but shaped by specific historical forces like property relations.
These relations between producers and appropriators structure the broader social relations, changing over historical eras.
insights INSIGHT
Capitalism Emerges Through Coercion
Capitalism emerges not from opportunity but from coercion and constraints forcing people to sell labor.
The imperative to improve productivity and accumulate surplus changes social relations distinctively.
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State Power and Surplus Extraction
Pre-capitalist surplus extraction relied on extra-economic forces like state-supported tax collection.
England's weak state made production-based surplus extraction and labor productivity crucial, paving the way for capitalism.
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Ellen Meiksins Wood's "Democracy Against Capitalism" offers a critical analysis of capitalism's inherent contradictions and its incompatibility with democratic ideals. Wood argues that capitalism's inherent drive for profit and accumulation undermines democratic principles of equality and self-determination. She revisits historical materialism, emphasizing the unique features of capitalist social relations and their impact on political structures. The book challenges conventional Marxist interpretations, offering a nuanced understanding of the relationship between capitalism and democracy. Wood's work remains influential in contemporary debates about the future of democracy and the challenges posed by global capitalism.
Analytical Marxism
John Roemer
Analytical Marxism is a collection of essays that apply analytical philosophy and formal modeling to Marxist theory. It aims to refine and clarify Marxist concepts using rigorous methods, often engaging with neoclassical economics. The book features contributions from leading scholars, exploring topics such as class, exploitation, and historical materialism. It sparked significant debate within Marxist circles, challenging traditional interpretations and fostering new approaches to understanding capitalism. The book's influence continues to shape contemporary Marxist scholarship.
In this episode, we discuss “political marxism” as a paradigm shift in Marxist thinking about historical development, the transition from feudalism to capitalism, and why that should matter to philosophers with an interest in challenging easy conceptual binaries that remain entrenched even in radical circles, like between economics and politics. We take a look at the two leading figures of this kind of Marxism – Robert Brenner and Ellen Meiksins Wood – to put the conflict back into class conflict.
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References:
Robert Brenner, “The Social Basis of Economic Development,” in Analytical Marxism, ed. John Roemer (Cambridge University Press, 1986), pp. 23-53.
Ellen Meiksins Wood, Democracy Against Capitalism: Renewing Historical Materialism (Verso Books, 2016 [1995]).
Music:
“Vintage Memories” by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com
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