Marxism, Class Analysis and Socialist Pluralism (RLE Marxism)

Marxism, Class Analysis and Socialist Pluralism (RLE Marxism) PDF Author: Les Johnston
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317502604
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 149

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Book Description
This book, first published in 1986, presents a radical challenge to socialist orthodoxy, subjecting a key component of that orthodoxy – Marxism – to sustained criticism. Les Johnston argues that Marxism cannot provide the foundations for a rigorous socialist theory or an effective socialist politics. A fundamental element of this criticism is the suggestion that the problem of ‘reductionism’ which has preoccupied Marxists is a red herring. Marxism’s problem is not its reductionism but its theoretical incoherence. Marxism is not ‘deterministic’, for there is invariably an indeterminate relationship between the materialism it invokes and the forms of politics it adopts. However, materialism is an obstacle to socialist theory. The contradictions and failures of Marxist class analysis suggest that the class concept is inadequate to the demands that socialists continue to place on it. It is not merely class which is problematic, however, but the conception of political interests which is associated with it. Even recent Marxist ‘revisionists’ who dispense with class primacy are unwilling to come to terms with the question of how socialist political interests are constituted. Socialist theory has to recognise the varied forces and interests on ‘the left’, and an effective socialism will have to be a pluralistic one. This means there can be no general theory of socialism, since a pluralistic socialism has to be able to adjust to varying social conditions.

Marxism, Class Analysis and Socialist Pluralism (RLE Marxism)

Marxism, Class Analysis and Socialist Pluralism (RLE Marxism) PDF Author: Les Johnston
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317502604
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 149

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book, first published in 1986, presents a radical challenge to socialist orthodoxy, subjecting a key component of that orthodoxy – Marxism – to sustained criticism. Les Johnston argues that Marxism cannot provide the foundations for a rigorous socialist theory or an effective socialist politics. A fundamental element of this criticism is the suggestion that the problem of ‘reductionism’ which has preoccupied Marxists is a red herring. Marxism’s problem is not its reductionism but its theoretical incoherence. Marxism is not ‘deterministic’, for there is invariably an indeterminate relationship between the materialism it invokes and the forms of politics it adopts. However, materialism is an obstacle to socialist theory. The contradictions and failures of Marxist class analysis suggest that the class concept is inadequate to the demands that socialists continue to place on it. It is not merely class which is problematic, however, but the conception of political interests which is associated with it. Even recent Marxist ‘revisionists’ who dispense with class primacy are unwilling to come to terms with the question of how socialist political interests are constituted. Socialist theory has to recognise the varied forces and interests on ‘the left’, and an effective socialism will have to be a pluralistic one. This means there can be no general theory of socialism, since a pluralistic socialism has to be able to adjust to varying social conditions.

Marxism, Class Analysis and Socialist Pluralism (RLE Marxism)

Marxism, Class Analysis and Socialist Pluralism (RLE Marxism) PDF Author: Les Johnston
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317502612
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
This book, first published in 1986, presents a radical challenge to socialist orthodoxy, subjecting a key component of that orthodoxy – Marxism – to sustained criticism. Les Johnston argues that Marxism cannot provide the foundations for a rigorous socialist theory or an effective socialist politics. A fundamental element of this criticism is the suggestion that the problem of ‘reductionism’ which has preoccupied Marxists is a red herring. Marxism’s problem is not its reductionism but its theoretical incoherence. Marxism is not ‘deterministic’, for there is invariably an indeterminate relationship between the materialism it invokes and the forms of politics it adopts. However, materialism is an obstacle to socialist theory. The contradictions and failures of Marxist class analysis suggest that the class concept is inadequate to the demands that socialists continue to place on it. It is not merely class which is problematic, however, but the conception of political interests which is associated with it. Even recent Marxist ‘revisionists’ who dispense with class primacy are unwilling to come to terms with the question of how socialist political interests are constituted. Socialist theory has to recognise the varied forces and interests on ‘the left’, and an effective socialism will have to be a pluralistic one. This means there can be no general theory of socialism, since a pluralistic socialism has to be able to adjust to varying social conditions.

Approaches to Class Analysis

Approaches to Class Analysis PDF Author: Erik Olin Wright
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781139444460
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
Few themes have been as central to sociology as 'class' and yet class remains a perpetually contested idea. Sociologists disagree not only on how best to define the concept of class but on its general role in social theory and indeed on its continued relevance to the sociological analysis of contemporary society. Some people believe that classes have largely dissolved in contemporary societies; others believe class remains one of the fundamental forms of social inequality and social power. Some see class as a narrow economic phenomenon whilst others adopt an expansive conception that includes cultural dimensions as well as economic conditions. This 2005 book explores the theoretical foundations of six major perspectives of class with each chapter written by an expert in the field. It concludes with a conceptual map of these alternative approaches by posing the question: 'If class is the answer, what is the question?'

Marx and Marxism

Marx and Marxism PDF Author: Peter Worsley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134451547
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 137

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Book Description
Discusses varieties of Marxism, distinguishing between ideas that remain valid, those that are contestable, and those that should be discarded. Emphasises connections between theoretical debates real political struggles.

Communism

Communism PDF Author: Emile Bertrand Ader
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description


Marxism and Ecological Economics

Marxism and Ecological Economics PDF Author: Paul Burkett
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 904740856X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 367

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Book Description
This book undertakes the first general assessment of ecological economics from a Marxist point of view, and shows how Marxist political economy can make a substantial contribution to ecological economics. The analysis is developed in terms of four basic issues: (1) nature and economic value; (2) the treatment of nature as capital; (3) the significance of the entropy law for economic systems; (4) the concept of sustainable development. In each case, it is shown that Marxism can help ecological economics fulfill its commitments to multi-disciplinarity, methodological pluralism, and historical openness. In this way, a foundation is constructed for a substantive dialogue between Marxists and ecological economists.

Marxism, Class Analysis, and Socialist Pluralism

Marxism, Class Analysis, and Socialist Pluralism PDF Author: Les Johnston
Publisher: Unwin Hyman
ISBN: 9780043012390
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 155

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Book Description


The Two Marxisms

The Two Marxisms PDF Author: Alvin Ward Gouldner
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
In this final volume of the trilogy, Gouldner focuses on the tensions between "scientific Marxism" with its search for lawful determination and "critical Marxism" with its philosophy of practice and its art of critique.

Agency and Structure (RLE Social Theory)

Agency and Structure (RLE Social Theory) PDF Author: Piotr Sztompka
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317652584
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 295

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Book Description
A striking feature of the human condition is its dual, contradictory, inherently split character; on the one hand, autonomy and freedom; on the other, constraint and dependence on social structure. This volume addresses this central problem of the linkage between human action and social structure in sociological and social science theory. Contributions cover several different approaches to the agency-structure problematic, and represent the work of a number of leading international sociologists. Their efforts point to a reorientation of social theory, both on philosophical and methodological levels.

The Cambridge Companion to Isaiah Berlin

The Cambridge Companion to Isaiah Berlin PDF Author: Joshua L. Cherniss
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107138507
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
Isaiah Berlin remains one of the seminal political philosophers of the twentieth century. This book explains his enduring relevance as we face the challenges of the twenty-first.