Marxism: For and Against

179 Pages·1980·4.87 MB·English

by  Robert L. Heilbroner

roRAND AGAINST
ROBERTL.
BEILBRONER
AuthoofTr H EW ORLDLPYH ILOSOPHERS
anAdN I NQUYII RNTTOH EH UMANP ROSPECT
MarxiFsomar:n Adg ains
RobeLr.Ht e ilbroner
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L.Heilbirnotnreourds su ycmepsa thetically
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reafdoeorrra sg ainHsitbs.o "oM ka,r xism:
Foarn Adg aitnastka,em osr seo phisticated
vi,ea wrgutihMnaagtr xhiaspsmr ofoiunn­d
sigthgoti stv toeh owsheao r wei ltlloi enagrn
fromi tb,ut th iaattl csoon tlaiimnist ations
thmauts btel earbnyte hdo wsheoh ave
adopittpesod io nfvt i ew.
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theisnes iagnhldti sm itaItnti hloeun csi.d
styalneedn gamgainnngte hhraa tvb ee come
the autrtahdoerDm'rasH.r e ki,l broner ex­
plaainnedsx pltohrceee sn terlaelmo efn ts
Marxtihsotut ghmheet a: noifan" gd ialecti­
caplh"i lo,ts houeps heyfualnpndre osbsl ems
ofa " materiinatleirsptor"fhe itsa,tt oiroyn
thpeo woeMfra rx"'sso cioanalytic" penetra­
tioofcn a pitaanltdih hseom p,ae nsdd i scon­
certpirnogbi lnevmosil navc eodm mitment
tos ocsim.aS lciholwairtlhbyoe uitan cga ­
demisce,a rcwhiitnhagos ustu maip nrgi or
knowloetfd hsgeue b jHeecitl,be rnoanbelre s
ust oa ppretchgiera etaeot fMn aerswxsh ile
avoiadniun ngc risttiacntacolew ard his
work.
Thiitssh meo satm bitainpodeu rsh,ta hpes
mositm porotfRa onbtHe eritl brmoanneyr 's
boooknps o lietciocnaoMlma yr.x iFsomr:
anAdg aiwnisiltnl t etrhpeeus bttl hihacat s
beelno okfioanrc g l eaanrod r igiinntaelr ­
pretoafatb iuornniq nuge satniwdoi nnl,al t u­
raaltltytr haaect tt eonftt hileoa nr ge audience
thhaatcs o mteol oooknH eilbarsoa n er
famialnridea srp meecntteodr .
RobHeeritl birNsoo nremTrah no mParso -
JACKEDTE SIBGYNW ALTHEARR PER
ISB0-N3 93--01307-3
2-80
Marxislll:
Foarn Adg ainst
BoobkysR obeLr.Ht e ilbroner
MarxiFsoamrn: Ad g ainst
BeyoBnodo amn Cdr ash
BusiCnievsisl iiznDa etciloinn e
AnI nquiinrttyhoH e u maPnr ospect
BetwCeaepni taanlSdio scmi alism
ThEec onoPmriocb lem
ThLei miotfAs m eriCcaapni talism
A PrimoenGr o vernmSepnetn ding
(wiPtehtL e.Br e rnstein)
ThGer eAastc ent
ThMea kionfEg c onoSmoicci ety
ThFeu tausrH ei story
ThQeu efsotWr e alth
ThWeo rldly Philosophers
RobeLr.Ht e ilbroner
Marxism:
Foarn Adg ainst
W • NWO R•T O&NC OMPANY
NEWY ORK• L ONDON
Copyright © 1980 by Robert Heilbroner
Published simultaneously in Canada by George J. McLeod Limited, Toronto.
Printed in the United States of America.
All Rights Reserved
First Edition
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Heilbroner, Robert L
Marxism, for and against.
Includes index.
l. Marxian economics. 2. Dialectical materialism.
3. Socialism. I. Title.
HB97.5.H37 1980 335.4 79-20385
ISB0-N39 3-01307-3
for my colleagues and students
Contents
Acknowledgments 11
ONE Introduction 15
TWO The Dialectical Approach
to Philosophy 29
lHREE The Materialist Interpretation
of History 61
FOUR The Socioanalysis of Capitalism 93
FIVE The Commitment to Socialism 141
Index 175
9
Acknowled ments
g
I HAVE DEDICATthEisD b ook to my col­
leagues and students because it has evolved
from a long dialogue with them-a dialogue that has
gradually brought me to the views set forth in these
pages. Without saddling either colleagues or students
with any responsibility for these views, I must make
known my appreciation for the encouragement and
criticism I have received from them. I could not have
written the book without their help.
As so often in the past, I must place the name of
Adolph Lowe at the head of my list of debts. There are
few people who embody the attitude off or and against
that I have taken as my own stance toward Marxism, but
Adolph Lowe is one of these. I have relied heavily not
only on his learning, but on his moral and aesthetic
judgment.
Second, I am happy to write the name of Ronald
Blackwell, who placed the extraordinary depth and
breadth of his scholarship in Marx at my disposal, and
who patiently read many drafts of the manuscript, and
guided me away from misstatements and misun­
derstandings. Although Blackwell is as yet a graduate
student and I am long a professor, in this undertaking
11
Acknowledgments
the roles were more often than not reserved, to my great
benefit.
Third, I wish to thank Stanley Bumshaw for a
painstaking reading of the text, freeing it from many
ambiguities and obscurities, and lending it an informed,
skeptical, and insightful understanding.
I shall mention only in passing the names of other
colleagues and students who have helped me with their
advice: John Ernst, David Gordon, Kenneth Gordon,
Virginia Held, and Anwar Shaikh. Lest I should inad­
vertently expose them to political risk, I omit with
regret the names of two Iranian students who helped
me greatly. Once again Lillian Salzman has brought
forth a shining manuscript from a dreadful mess. And in
the place of honor traditionally reserved for the end, I
salute Shirley Heilbroner, who sustained me and en­
dured my work, and thereby made the whole endeavor
possible.
ROBERTL.HEILBRONER
New York City, May 1979
12