tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26706564.post3097816236573070987..comments2024-03-25T07:51:47.758-04:00Comments on Thoughts On Economics: Marginalism As A Reaction To MarxismRobert Vienneauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14748118392842775431noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26706564.post-81158451633852929272010-11-15T04:44:00.844-05:002010-11-15T04:44:00.844-05:00A bit late, I know, but...
I think that this give...A bit late, I know, but...<br /><br />I think that this gives far too much credit for Marx's impact. After all, there is not real evidence that any of the leading marginalists were driven by Marx. <br /><br />However, this is not to say that they were not driven by other socialist use of the Labour Theory of Value to critique capitalism. Two key facts are:<br /><br />1. the Ricardian socialists in Britain had utilised that theory extensively. <br /><br />2. Proudhon in France had also done so as well since 1840. Significantly, Léon Walras wrote a book attacking Proudhon in 1860.<br /><br />So, while Marx undoubtedly played some role in the acceptance of marginalism I would say that it was the general socialist use of the labour theory of value which drove the development of marginalism in the first place. In the case of Walras, <a href="http://www.property-is-theft.org" rel="nofollow">Proudhon</a> was the key figure.<br /><br />Iain<br /><a href="http://www.anarchistfaq.org.uk" rel="nofollow">An Anarchist FAQ</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26706564.post-28403219429908131482009-10-09T11:57:01.321-04:002009-10-09T11:57:01.321-04:00Rather than reaction to Marxism, perhaps better to...Rather than reaction to Marxism, perhaps better to think in terms of dominant class' appropriation of marginalism as reaction to a working class which, <i>owing to capitalism's further development</i>, had gained greater 'specific gravity' [+ greater levels of organization and militancy] than had been the case during the earlier less concentrated and centralized period.<br /><br />JuanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com