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Why Marx still matters

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  • Jon D. Wisman

Abstract

This article explores why a deep understanding of Marx's project is essential for developing an adequate science of society. Marx focused on two aspects of social reality that are critical to its understanding, but are absent from the contemporary practice of social science. First, he viewed humanity's struggle to overcome nature's scarcity as causally and dynamically related to social organisation and social consciousness. Second, he unfolded a theory of our self-creation, the manner in which products of our manual and intellectual labour act back upon us to create us socially and intellectually. To the extent that we lose consciousness of this authorship, our freedom is constrained. We are controlled by our own creations. Our freedom requires a social science with Marx's breadth to enable us to recover awareness of our authorship of our social creations and thereby be empowered to control them, as opposed to being their victims.

Suggested Citation

  • Jon D. Wisman, 2013. "Why Marx still matters," International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 4(3), pages 229-242.
    • Handle: RePEc:ids:ijplur:v:4:y:2013:i:3:p:229-242
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Knight, Frank H., 2000. "Selected Essays by Frank H. Knight, Volume 1," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226446950 edited by Emmett, Ross B..
    2. Jon D. Wisman & James F. Smith, 2011. "Legitimating Inequality: Fooling Most of the People All of the Time," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(4), pages 974-1013, October.
    3. Yew-Kwang Ng, 1996. "Happiness surveys: Some comparability issues and an exploratory survey based on just perceivable increments," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 1-27, May.
    4. Lane,Robert E., 1991. "The Market Experience," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521407373, October.
    5. J. Solnick, Sara & Hemenway, David, 1998. "Is more always better?: A survey on positional concerns," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 373-383, November.
    6. Jon Wisman, 2003. "The Scope and Promising Future of Social Economics," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(4), pages 425-445.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    freedom; dialectics; materialist history; methodology; Marx; Marxism; Marxist economics; social reality; scarcity; social organisation; social consciousness; self-creation.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B3 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought: Individuals
    • B4 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology
    • B51 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Socialist; Marxian; Sraffian

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