[net.politics.theory] So what's wrong with capitalism?

carnes@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP (Richard Carnes) (04/13/85)

Capitalism can be indicted on three main counts, according to the
Marxian critique.  The following is a summary of the charges rather
than an attempt to argue the case.  The three headings correspond
roughly to periods in Marx's life (there was a fourth period towards
the end of his life when he was preoccupied with the problems of the
transition from capitalism to communism).  Like all such schemata
this is oversimplified and should not be pressed too far; it can be
useful insofar as it helps one to understand the structure of the
Marxist criticism.  Bear in mind that not all who call themselves
Marxists would agree with the following.

1.  PHILOSOPHY.  Capitalism is INHUMAN because it leads to the
alienation of men and women from the creative activities that the
human species is uniquely able to engage in.  The good life for man
consists of self-realization through the all-sided development of the
powers of the individual, through the use of one's abilities.
Capitalism stultifies this development.  The substantiation of this
charge is the theory of ALIENATION.

2.  HISTORICAL MATERIALISM, Marx's theory of history.  It holds that
capitalism leads to an inescapable conflict between the "productive
forces" and the "relations of production," resulting in a system
which is inherently wasteful and fundamentally IRRATIONAL.  It
remains economically viable only by means that undermine long-term
viability, and creates the conditions under which another system
could perform better.  Closely related to this critique are the
theories of class struggle, technical change, and ideology.

3.  ECONOMICS.  Today many Marxists in the West say that Marx's
economics is mostly bunk, although useful for understanding other
aspects of Marx's thought.  Samuelson may have been right when he
labeled Marx "a minor post-Ricardian," if this is understood as
referring to the specifically economic theories in *Capital* II and
III (the first volume is not a work of economics, strictly speaking).
However, this does not necessarily undermine Marx's charge that
capitalism is EXPLOITATIVE, or "unjust" if you believe that he had a
theory of justice.  Tony Wuersch has shown in some of his postings
how one may construct a Marxist theory of exploitation in capitalism
without the baggage of the labor theory of value, the law of the
falling rate of profit, and so on.  

If these charges against capitalism were rolled up into one sentence,
it might be:  ALIENATION PREVENTS THE WORKERS FROM PERCEIVING THE
INJUSTICE OF EXPLOITATION.  The term "injustice" must be hedged round
with explanation, a task which I defer since the term will do for the
present purpose.  

So I propose the foregoing as a framework in which to place the
Marxian critique of capitalism -- I welcome suggestions for modifying
it.

Richard Carnes, ihnp4!gargoyle!carnes