Aspects of a Theory of Transition within the Capitalist Mode of Production

1983 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
K D Gibson ◽  
R J Horvath
Keyword(s):  
Historical Materialism ◽  
General Level ◽  
Universal Theory ◽  
Levels Of Abstraction ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Capitalist Mode ◽  
Level I ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Mode Of Production

Marx's primary focus in his theoretical and practical work was on the transition between modes of production; our concern here, however, is to offer a theory of transition within the capitalist mode of production which is consistent with the fundamental principles of historical materialism. The methodological solution to this problem, we suggest, lies in recognizing the levels of abstraction and corresponding degrees of historical specificity in theoretical concepts. Four levels of abstraction are identified: level I, universal theory; level II, theory of a mode of production in general; level III, theory of variants of a mode of production; and level IV, theoretically informed analysis of real concrete formations. It is at the more historically specific level III that a theory of transition within the capitalist mode of production is offered by identifying four variants of capitalist production: the transitional, competitive, monopoly, and global submodes of production. Finally, it is proposed that at level III a more satisfactory theory of uneven development is possible based on the articulation of submodes of production within given social formations.

Imagination as Crisis: Spinoza on the Naturalisation and Denaturalisation of Capitalist Relations

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Anna Piekarska ◽  
Jakub Krzeski
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Historical Materialism ◽  
Material Force ◽  
Capitalist Mode ◽  
The Subject ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Established Order ◽  
Mode Of Production

Abstract Many current Marxist debates point to a crisis of imagination as a challenge to emancipatory thoughts and actions. The naturalisation of the capitalist mode of production within the production of subjectivity is among the chief reasons behind this state of affairs. This article contributes to the debate by focusing on the notion of imagination, marked by a deep ambivalence capable of both naturalising and denaturalising social relations constitutive of the established order. Such an understanding of imagination is constructed from within the framework of historical materialism, and it draws on Spinoza and Marx, taking advantage of the similarities between the two with respect to the constitution of the subject. From this stems an investigation into the imagination as a material force that partakes both in subjection and liberation. This is further demonstrated in regard to juridical forms of subjectivation and the possibility of subverting these forms through imagination.

The Compatibility of Freedom and Necessity in Marx’s Idea of Communist Society

2021 ◽  
pp. 162-191
Author(s):  
David James
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Historical Materialism ◽  
Capitalist Society ◽  
Communist Society ◽  
Capitalist Mode ◽  
The Social ◽  
Practical Necessity ◽  
Historical Necessity ◽  
Mode Of Production

It is argued that the manner in which workers organize production and determine its goals explains how freedom and necessity are reconciled in Marx’s idea of communist society. Freedom and necessity are reconciled, moreover, in such a way that both self-realization and engagement in activities that possess some intrinsic value become possible, whereas this is not the case for workers in capitalist society. Communist society is explained in terms of a concept of freedom that incorporates three distinct types of freedom, whereas this concept of freedom is incompatible with the constraints generated by the capitalist mode of production and the social relations that emerge on its basis. The theme of how historical materialism is committed to the idea of historical necessity and seeks to explain this necessity in terms of practical necessity is then introduced.

scholarly journals The Demobilization of Class Politics in Denmark: The Social Democratic Party’s Group-Based Appeals 1961–2004

2018 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads Thau
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Party ◽  
General Level ◽  
Social Democratic Party ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Class Politics ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Social Democratic ◽  
The Social ◽  
Democratic Parties ◽  
Social Democratic Parties

Abstract In Denmark, as in other Western European countries, the working class does not vote for social democratic parties to the same extent as before. Yet, what role did the social democratic parties themselves play in the demobilization of class politics? Building on core ideas from public opinion literature, this article differs from the focus on party policy positions in previous work and, instead, focuses on the group-based appeals of the Social Democratic Party in Denmark. Based on a quantitative content analysis of party programs between 1961 and 2004, I find that, at the general level, class-related appeals have been replaced by appeals targeting non-economic groups. At the specific level, the class-related appeals that remain have increasingly been targeting businesses at the expense of traditional left-wing groups such as wage earners, tenants and pensioners. These findings support a widespread hypothesis that party strategy was crucial in the decline of class politics, but also suggests that future work on class mobilization should adopt a group-centered perspective.

From Challenging the Text to Constructing It in a Large Economics Classroom: Revealing the Not-So-Common Sense of the Capitalist Mode of Production

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 194-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Spotton Visano
Keyword(s):  
Small Group ◽  
Large Class ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Resource Distribution ◽  
Capital Good ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Group Exercise ◽  
Teaching Process ◽  
Capitalist Mode ◽  
Mode Of Production

This paper recounts a large class teaching process designed to encourage student critique, debate, and engagement. It focuses on an example of one in-class, small group exercise of negotiating ownership claims on a capital good and its output. The communal outcomes that students themselves negotiate contradict their prior taken-for-granted belief in the “rightness” of the capitalist mode of production and offer the class an opportunity to reflect on principles of fairness in resource distribution. JEL Classification: A13, A22, B51

Some Difficulties of Learning to Program

1986 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedict Du Boulay
Keyword(s):  
General Level ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Main Emphasis ◽  
Level Of Understanding ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This article is a brief introduction to some of the issues that teachers of programming may find helpful. It starts by presenting a fairly idiosyncratic view of teaching programming which makes use of mechanistic analogies and points out some of the pitfalls. The article goes on to examine certain errors based on the misapplication of analogies as well as certain interaction errors. The main emphasis is on the notional machine both at the general level of understanding (and misunderstanding) the relationship of the terminal to the computer as such, as well as at the more specific level of understanding assignment. Notation and mistakes that poorly-designed languages can induce novices to commit are discussed.

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