Date: Tue, 18 Apr 95 23:15:08 BST From: Chris Burford <cburford-AT-gn.apc.org> Subject: Re: Marxism as science -Reply While I appreciate Justin's recent reflective contribution about Mao (I think I agree that it would have been better if like Lenin he had died just a few years after coming to power) I had already prepared an arguably critical note on a previous thoughtful post by Justin, which seems relevant again in the light of the latest post on Marxism as Science referring to Analytical Marxism. On Sat 15th April at 22:30 Justin posted an explanation of his theoretical position on Marxism as a science. I appreciated the absence of many quotes and felt I understood better how it is located within the "Analytical Marxist" school. Clearly this is an important contribution to the debate about the reconstruction and re-application of Marxism, with a number of strengths. A reservation I have is that it may be vulnerable to eclecticism. >>>> The Analytical Marxist tendency in Marxist theory to which I subscribe has been particularly interested in what Daniel Little calls "the scientific Marx': reformulating the hypotheses sharply, testesting them for logical coherence, and then for empirical adequacy. <<< and at the end: >>>So whjat's the fuss? Let's get on wiuth the business of debating which of the hypotheses will stand and how how they can be formulated and applied to concrete cases.<<< But it seems to me the wood, the materialist and dialectical approach to the struggles going on in front of our eyes, may be lost for an examination of which of the trees are fine timber and which are grub-ridden. The wood consists of trees but it is more important than the total of individual trees. It also seems to me that Analytical Marxists, may risk presenting themselves to the rest of the movement as guardians of logical rigour. Desirable though this is as an ingredient to debate, I wonder if there is a risk of mutual frustration. The task is large, and perhaps the typos reflect the sense of haste. I do find them distracting beyond a certain point though I hesitate to mention it (let s/he who is without typos cast the first stone! ) Thanks for clarifying your position. I hope the feedback might be of some use, positively or negatively. I look forward to further thoughtful contributions. Regards Chris Burford --- from list marxism-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- ------------------
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