Neue Marx-Lektüre
Encyclopedia
Neue Marx-Lektüre in its broader meaning refers to the reception of the economic theory of Karl Marx
, which started in the mid-1960s in Western and partly Eastern Europe, in distinction from both Marxism-Leninism
and Social Democracy
. In its specific meaning, Neue Marx-Lektüre refers to a loose group of authors mainly from the German-speaking countries, who go beyond to revise a certain historising and empirical interpretation of Marx' analysis of economic forms which can be traced back till Friedrich Engels
.
Departing from the early approaches of Evgeny Bronislavovich Pashukanis
and Isaak Illich Rubin
in the 1920s, the works submitted by Helmut Reichelt
and Hans-Georg Backhaus
in the seventies and eighties, and the writings of Michael Heinrich in the nineties, at the turn of the millennium a partly academic, partly off-academic debate on the question of economic value has evolved. These authors, who meanwhile are labeled by the umbrella term Neue Marx-Lektüre distinguish themselves in a variety of aspects from the traditional Marx reading related with both, the workers movement and state socialism.
The Neue Marx-Lektüre rejects
On the other hand, the authors of the Neue Marx-Lektüre in contrast to the academically dominant neo-classic economy maintain the relevance of the approach of Marx. Especially they insist that the micro-economic approaches of the neoclassic theory of economy can't explain the constitution, maintenance and dynamics of the economic value-relations, and only can exhibit insufficient theoretical means when it comes to macro-economic constructs such as e.g. the gross national income
.
On the contrary, they point out that Marx, although unable to answer these question, nevertheless provides a higher degree of reflection and awareness for the problems, which has to be recovered in a critical manner for the contemporary discussion.
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, which started in the mid-1960s in Western and partly Eastern Europe, in distinction from both Marxism-Leninism
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
and Social Democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
. In its specific meaning, Neue Marx-Lektüre refers to a loose group of authors mainly from the German-speaking countries, who go beyond to revise a certain historising and empirical interpretation of Marx' analysis of economic forms which can be traced back till Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
.
Departing from the early approaches of Evgeny Bronislavovich Pashukanis
Evgeny Pashukanis
Evgeny Bronislavovich Pashukanis was a Soviet legal scholar, best known for his work The General Theory of Law and Marxism.-Early life and October Revolution:...
and Isaak Illich Rubin
Isaak Illich Rubin
Isaak Illich Rubin was a Russian economist and is considered to be the most important theorist of his time on the field of Marx's theory of value. His main work Essays on Marx's Theory of Value was published in 1924. During the course of the Great Purge he was executed in 1937.-Main Works:* Rubin,...
in the 1920s, the works submitted by Helmut Reichelt
Helmut Reichelt
Helmut Reichelt is a German economist and philosopher of the Frankfurt School. Reichelt is one of the main authors of the “Neue Marx-Lektüre” and considered to be one of the most important theorists in the field of Marx's theory of value.He studied economics, sociology and philosophy in Frankfurt...
and Hans-Georg Backhaus
Hans-Georg Backhaus
Hans-Georg Backhaus is a German economist and philosopher. He is considered one of the most important theorists on the field of Marx's theory of value. He began a long-term cooperation with Helmut Reichelt already from his years of university studies.-Main Work:* Backhaus, Hans-Georg: Dialektik...
in the seventies and eighties, and the writings of Michael Heinrich in the nineties, at the turn of the millennium a partly academic, partly off-academic debate on the question of economic value has evolved. These authors, who meanwhile are labeled by the umbrella term Neue Marx-Lektüre distinguish themselves in a variety of aspects from the traditional Marx reading related with both, the workers movement and state socialism.
The Neue Marx-Lektüre rejects
- premonetary theories of value, according to which already the single concrete work creates value, and the essence of value is a direct outcome of the invested time of labour. On the contrary the social character of work creating value is emphasized.
- conceptions of the state as a manipulativePsychological manipulationPsychological manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the perception or behavior of others through underhanded, deceptive, or even abusive tactics. By advancing the interests of the manipulator, often at the other's expense, such methods could be considered exploitative,...
instrument of a ruling class. On the contratry, the Staatsableitungsdebatte (State derivation debate) has an understanding of the state as a structurally necessary, but relatively separated part of capitalism. - theories of history which lead to the anticipation of a revolution to be accomplished by the proletariat. Opposed to this, the capital is considered as an "automatic subject", which exists as well in a sham as well in a real form.
On the other hand, the authors of the Neue Marx-Lektüre in contrast to the academically dominant neo-classic economy maintain the relevance of the approach of Marx. Especially they insist that the micro-economic approaches of the neoclassic theory of economy can't explain the constitution, maintenance and dynamics of the economic value-relations, and only can exhibit insufficient theoretical means when it comes to macro-economic constructs such as e.g. the gross national income
Gross National Income
The GNI consists of: the personal consumption expenditures, the gross private investment, the government consumption expenditures, the net income from assets abroad , and the gross exports of goods and services, after deducting two components: the gross imports of goods and services, and the...
.
On the contrary, they point out that Marx, although unable to answer these question, nevertheless provides a higher degree of reflection and awareness for the problems, which has to be recovered in a critical manner for the contemporary discussion.
Main Works
- Helmut Reichelt: Zur logischen Struktur des Kapitalbegriffs bei Karl Marx. also: Dissertation from 10 July 1968, Wirtschafts- u. sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Universität Frankfurt am Main. Frankfurt, 1968, 265 S.; fourth revisted edition, with a preface by Iring Fetscher, Frankfurt a. M.: Europäische Verlagsanstalt, 1973 (Politische Ökonomie); Freiburg im Breisgau: Ça Ira, 2001, ISBN 3-924627-76-2.
- Michael Heinrich:Kritik der politischen Ökonomie - Eine Einführung, Schmetterling Verlag, 3rd edition 2005 Die Wissenschaft vom Wert (dissertation) VSA-Verlag, 1991; second, revised edition: Westfälisches Dampfboot, 2003
- Hans-Georg Backhaus: Dialektik der Wertform. Untersuchungen zur Marxschen Ökonomiekritik, Freiburg i. Br. 1997, ISBN 3-924627-52-5.
- Helmut Reichelt: Neue Marx-Lektüre. Zur Kritik sozialwissenschaftlicher Logik, Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-89965-287-1.
- sample, table of contents and introduction (pdf)
English
- Jacques Bidet: New Interpretations of Capital, in : Jacques Bides, Stathis Kouvelakis: Critical Companion to Contemporary Marxism, BRILL 2008, ISBN 9-004-14598-2, ISBN 978-9-004-14598-6 (Historical materialism book series 16), pp. 369–384
German
- Ingo Elbe: Marx im Westen. Die neue Marx-Lektüre in der Bundesrepublik seit 1965, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-05-004470-5
- sample, table of contens and introduction (33 pages pdf)
- Hendrik Wallat: Theoriegeschichte der neuen Marx-Lektüre, review of Marx im Westen (10 pages pdf)
- Michael Heinrich: Wie das Marxsche Kapital lesen?, Schmetterling Verlag, 1st edition 2008
- Hanno Pahl: Das Geld in der modernen Wirtschaft. Marx und Luhmann im Vergleich, Frankfurt 2008, ISBN 9-783593386-07-2
- Jan Hoff, Alexis Petrioli, Ingo Stützle, Frieder Otto Wolf (Hrsg.): Das Kapital neu lesen. Beiträge zur radikalen Philosophie, Westfälisches Dampfboot, Münster 2006, ISBN 3-89691-605-X, ISBN 978-3-89691-605-1
- sample with table of contents, introduction and epilog (34 pages pdf)
- Wolfgang Fritz HaugWolfgang Fritz HaugWolfgang Fritz Haug was from 1979 till his retirement in 2001 professor of philosophy at the Free University Berlin, where he had also studied romance languages and religious studies and taken his PhD .Haug coined the term commodity aestheticism...
: Die »Neue Kapital-Lektüre« der monetären Werttheorie, review of Das Kapital neu Lesen (15 pages pdf)
- Lars Meyer: Absoluter Wert und allgemeiner Wille. Zur Selbstbegründung dialektischer Gesellschaftstheorie, Bielefeld 2005, ISBN 978-3-89942-224-5.
- Michael Heinrich:Kritik der politischen Ökonomie - Eine Einführung, Schmetterling Verlag, 3rd edition 2005
- Christine Kirchhoff, Hanno Pahl, Christoph Engemann, Judith Heckel, Lars Meyer (Hg.): Gesellschaft als Verkehrung. Perspektiven einer neuen Marx-Lektüre. Festschrift für Helmut ReicheltHelmut ReicheltHelmut Reichelt is a German economist and philosopher of the Frankfurt School. Reichelt is one of the main authors of the “Neue Marx-Lektüre” and considered to be one of the most important theorists in the field of Marx's theory of value.He studied economics, sociology and philosophy in Frankfurt...
, Freiburg 2004, ISBN 3-924627-26-6. - Jan Hoff: Kritik der klassischen politischen Ökonomie. Zur Rezeption der werttheoretischen Ansätze ökonomischer Klassiker durch Karl Marx, Cologne 2004, ISBN 3-89438-314-3.
- Dieter Wolf: Kritische Theorie und Kritik der politischen Ökonomie. Eine kritische Auseinandersetzung mit Schriften von Hans-Georg Backhaus und Helmut Reichelt. In: Dieter Wolf, Heinz Paragenings: Zur Konfusion des Wertbegriffs. Beiträge zur „Kapital“-Diskussion, Argument Verlag, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 978-3-88619-651-7 (Berliner Verein zur Förderung der MEGA-Edition e.V., Wissenschaftliche Mitteilungen Heft 3)
- Dieter Wolf: Zur Methode in Marx’ „Kapital“ unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ihres logisch-systematischen Charakters. Zum Methodenstreit zwischen Wolfgang Fritz Haug und Michael Heinrich. In: Ingo Elbe, Tobias Reichardt, Dieter Wolf: Gesellschaftliche Praxis und ihre wissenschaftliche Darstellung. Beiträge zur Kapital-Diskussion. Wissenschaftliche Mitteilungen. Heft 6. Argument Verlag, Hamburg, 2008. ISBN 978-3-88619-655-5 Hrsg.: Carl-Erich Vollgraf, Richard Sperl & Rolf Hecker.
External Links (German)
- Ingo Elbe: Zwischen Marx, Marxismus und Marxismen – Lesarten der Marxschen Theorie (pdf)
- GegenStandpunkt: Wie man „Das Kapital“ nicht schon wieder neu lesen sollte. Zur „Einführung in die Kritik der politischen Ökonomie“ von Michael Heinrich (pdf), GegenStandpunkt – Politische Vierteljahreszeitschrift 2/2008.
- Dieter Wolf:Die Wertform und die dialektische Methode. Zur Deutung der Dialektik der Wertform durch Hans-Georg Backhaus In: Der dialektische Widerspruch im Kapital" Ein Beitrag zur Marxschen Werttheorie. Hamburg, 2002, ISBN 3-87975-889-1, S. 151ff.