Paul, a few questions: is this notion of "economic determinism" something
which is taken up by the working class, something which was given rise to
by the working class, or is it part of another purely academic debate? I
have never heard workers talk about "economic determinism." I have not
heard Marxist-Leninists use this term. Contempoarary Marxist-leninist
Thought does not include the notion "economic determinism." Is the
distinction between "essential" and "dominant" a monumental
distinction? Do you think that the productive forces are the key,
determinig influence? Do you think that material imperatives ultimately
assert themselves? In my estimation, class struggle, and therefore
class relations, is where explanation must begin. Any other explanatory
*starting-point* will necessarily be philosophical idealist in characater, no?
Shawgi Tell
University at Buffalo
Graduate School of Education
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Mon, 12 Aug 1996, Paul Zarembka wrote:
> Shawgi, economic determinism argues or implies that productive forces and
> class relations (but particularly productive forces) are THE "essential"
> element or cause or explanation of social reality. It is much more
> consistent with Marx's project to say that social relations of production
> (particularly) and productive forces are "DOMINANT". Ajit Sinha, a couple
> of days ago, posted on the issue of dominance in a very nice way.
>
> Paul
>
> On Sat, 10 Aug 1996, SHAWGI TELL wrote:
>
> >
> > I'm sorry Paul, I don't understand: what is "economic determinism?"
> >
> >
> > Shawgi Tell
>
> > > Are you proposing economic determinism or what? What about Engels
> > > comment that he and Marx are partly to blame for over-emphasizing the
> > > economic at the expense of other factors? Also, where do Marx and Engels
> > > take the position you are ascribing to them? (I don't care about
> > > Stalin's opinion.)
> > >
> > > Paul
> > >
> > >
> > > On Fri, 9 Aug 1996, SHAWGI TELL wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > According to V.I. Lenin:
> > > >
> > > > Hitherto, sociologists had found it difficult
> > > > to distinguish in the complex network of social
> > > > phenomena which phenomena were important and which
> > > > unimportant (that is the root of subjectivism in
> > > > sociology) and had been unable to offer any
> > > > objective criterion for such a distinction.
> > > > ("What the 'Friends of the People' Are and How
> > > > they Fight the Social-Democrats," April 1894, in
> > > > THE ESSENTIALS OF LENIN, Vol I, London: Lawrence
> > > > & Wishart, 1947, 82-83)
> > > >
> > > > In my estimation, Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin went to great lengths to
> > > > expose the anti-scientific character of pluralism, a petty-bourgeois trend.
> > > > They revealed the irrationalism and subjectivism inherent in
> > > > "multiple-factor 'theories'," always arguing for the scientific
> > > > reflection of the key, determinig influence. They gave all-sided
> > > > analyses a scientific character.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Shawgi Tell
>
>
