--- Paddy Hackett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Paddy Hackett: I dont see how any serious marxist > can forge an argument by > using Kant's categorical imperative. It's talk like this that helped persaude mt that the term "Marxist" is merely an impediment to clear thinking and socialist practice. But see Harry Van Der Linden, Kantian Ethics and Socialism http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0872200280/sr=8-1/qid=1148589079/ref=sr_1_1/104-9543287-2544746?%5Fencoding=UTF8 The Amazon review is helpful: 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: Kingdom of ends, February 2, 2003 Reviewer: John Landon "nemonemini" (NYC, NY United States) - See all my reviews Interesting work, back in print. The political perspective of Kantianism tends to reflect the legacy of classical liberalism(e.g. the Kantian Hayek), revolutionary for its time, but the inherent dialectic of the Kantian ethics proceeds to its universality as a social conundrum, which produced a most significant commentary on the socialist idea in the period of the 'back to Kant' movement at the end of the nineteenth century. This fascinating work reviews the logic and tells the history of this period and initiative, and its outcome in the era of Social Democracy leading up to the period of the Weimar collapse. These Kantians, e.g. Cohen, Vorlander, and the Marburg school,are of great historical interest still, as we forget that many of the critiques of the original Marxism now brandished by conservatives found their source in these Kantians. If only the history had been different! This corner of history was eliminated in the later stages of madness (the twenties, Eisner was assinated by early Nazis). The book is filled with all sorts of curious discussions, e.g. a critique of Hegelian teleology, Rawlsian implications, etc. It should be of interest as it will keep both left and right honest, on their, your, toes. See also Willey's Back to Kant * * * * The Austro-Marxists tended to be Kantian in lots of ways. I don't really care if anyone thinks they ere not "serious" Marxists -- they were, in fact, part of a vibrant living self-identified Marxist worker's movement, as we are not. That said, I think there is a point to saying that materialists ought to be somewhat skeptical of any supposed a priori principles of practical reason. For my money, I think Hegel's critique of the universalizability version of the Categorical Imperative that Charles likes is quite powerful -- H regards universalizability as a merely negative and empty criterion. The version of the CI that appeals to me is the one that says that we are to treat people as ends, and not as means only. I think materialists can accept this without buying into the Kantian transcendental a priori apparatus or treating the imperative as "categorical" in Kant's sense, as a somehow absolute and self-validating principle of (practical) reason. It is possible to say in a pragmatist manner that this version of the "CI" is one we'd hold in reflective equilibrium, accepting its consequences, which it explains as a sensible principle of action. But,a s with every pragmatic principle, it is up for revision. And accepting it in this way does not commit us to the Kantian ideas that only moral action in accord with the CI is rational, thus free -- in some transcendental sense. I don't know what "subjectivism" means as a charge leveled against Kant and the CI. jks > > Charles Brown: I am presently preparing/reworking > the chapter in which I put > forward my > case for egalitarianism (my thesis is a critique of > the New Classical Model > and Liberal Capitalist orthodoxy - in particular the > way in which both > legitimise inequality) and I am trying to forge my > argument by using Kant's > categorical imperative and especially his deontology > in contrast to > utilitarianism, and consequentialism... Still > trying, need a lot of help... > runing late on deadline. > > Paddy Hackett > > > > _______________________________________________ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > [email protected] > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list [email protected] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
