Analytical Marxism

by John E. Roemer (Editor)

As John Roemer says in his introduction to this volume, 'During the past decade, what now appears as a new species in social theory has been analytically sophisticated Marxism. Its practitioners are largely inspired by Marxian questions which they pursue with contemporary tools of logic, mathematics, and model building … These writers are, self-consciously, products of both the Marxian and non-Marxian traditions.' This volume assembles substantial and original essays, both published and unpublished, by some of the leading practitioners of 'analytical Marxism'. The essays discuss a number of the fundamental issues of Marxian thought as well as questions that conventional Marxists see no need to raise. They exemplify the ways in which analytical Marxists are beginning to reinvigorate the Marxian tradition and, in doing so, to break down the barriers that have divided it from other forms of social theory. The volume will make an excellent textbook and an ideal introduction to this new approach.

Genres: Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Ezri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essays by Cohen, Wood, Wright, Elster, and Przeworski are all worth reading. They are as 'clear and rigorous' as one could hope to be, although some of the logical notation (employed by the latter two) that may be clarifying for some will be downright confusing for others. Those latter two are also the hardest on traditional Marxian theses than the first three, and are especially important to engage with for contemporary Marxists.

Bardhan and Brenner produce worthwhile analyses against the teleological Marxism that must have been prevalent at the time, but after deeply engaging with Cohen, they do not seem to conflict with Marxian analysis as much as the two authors seem to think. Brenner employs a rather drawn-out style to sketch out the mechanism of change from feudalism to capitalism in great detail. Bardhan in particular seems to be demolishing straw men for the purpose of glorifying neoclassical analysis, although I don't doubt that cutting-edge neoclassical concepts perform better in development economics than shitty unilineal Stalinist ones.

Roemer mostly misses the mark: his essays about an equilibrium theory of class/exploitation and his subsequent attack on exploitation as a useful concept depend on an interpretation of exploitation as being in the realm of exchange (as opposed to production) and, importantly, the still commonly-accepted supposition that Marx's value theory is not really worth considering (this itself being a hopefully unwitting result of imposing neoclassical equilibrium theory on Marx). I would have liked to see a more sustained engagement with Marxian concepts before such a complete overhaul, and little justification is given for his formal innovations, unlike the rest of the book (see Kliman's work on Roemer for more perspective). His comments on 'rational choice Marxism' are more well-founded.

All in all, this book is a trying experience for any Marxist but I think it's mostly worth it. I look forward to researching — and producing — rebuttals to these essays in the form given, and to letting go what cannot be maintained. While plenty of pernicious ideological notions are smuggled in with the bourgeois techniques used by the authors, this discussion (particularly the methodological discussion) needed to happen.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Analytical Marxism is a volume of academic papers representing a movement to reevaluate Marxist arguments in light of Positivism. Most of the articles were intended for mathematicians and economists (so I didn't completely understand them) but the last section might be of interest to the lay reader. I enjoyed chapter 12 The Structure of Proletarian Unfreedom authored by G.A. Cohen. Cohen asks the question, "Is it true that workers are forced to sell their labor power?" and evaluates the popular arguments for and against before offering his own thought experiments and conclusions.

[Leonardo]

Teoría de la Justicia. Unidad 2.

Aparentemente, el nombre de “marxismo analítico” fue acuñado por Jon Elster, aunque resultó popularizado a partir de una compilación de John Roemer (Analytical Marxism, de 1986) integrada por algunas importantes contribuciones de los miembros del “grupo de septiembre”.

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pointless exercise at best.