What's left of Marx

Has Marx being proven mostly wrong?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 19 76.0%
  • No.

    Votes: 4 16.0%
  • I don't know

    Votes: 1 4.0%
  • I don't care

    Votes: 1 4.0%

  • Total voters
    25
Quote from Misthos:

I think the value in most competing economic theories is their criticism of other theories.

That said, understanding Marxism is still important, as it points out some valid criticisms of capitalism. In Das Kapital, Marx differentiated between industrial capital and finance capital, and was extremely critical of finance capital.

You don't have to be a Marxist to appreciate this view. All too often people have a knee jerk reaction to Marxism that I believe is based more on the USSR cold war era than on honest study of Marx's writings. Do I believe in Communism? No. But I do believe that Karl Marx was ahead of his time and held some valid opinions.

Here is a very interesting (lengthy and dense) article by Michael Hudson. For those that want to really expand their knowledge - give it an honest read. You'll be surprised at how much you will agree with Marx - and don't worry, that doesn't make you a Marxist.

From Marx to Goldman Sachs: The Fictions of Fictitious Capital

http://michael-hudson.com/2010/07/from-marx-to-goldman-sachs-the-fictions-of-fictitious-capital1/
+1

Marx was a brilliant critical thinker, which is incredibly valuable. However, I don't think he ever offered a constructive and practical solution.
 
Thanks. I will.

Quote from Misthos:

I think the value in most competing economic theories is their criticism of other theories.

That said, understanding Marxism is still important, as it points out some valid criticisms of capitalism. In Das Kapital, Marx differentiated between industrial capital and finance capital, and was extremely critical of finance capital.

You don't have to be a Marxist to appreciate this view. All too often people have a knee jerk reaction to Marxism that I believe is based more on the USSR cold war era than on honest study of Marx's writings. Do I believe in Communism? No. But I do believe that Karl Marx was ahead of his time and held some valid opinions.

Here is a very interesting (lengthy and dense) article by Michael Hudson. For those that want to really expand their knowledge - give it an honest read. You'll be surprised at how much you will agree with Marx - and don't worry, that doesn't make you a Marxist.

From Marx to Goldman Sachs: The Fictions of Fictitious Capital

http://michael-hudson.com/2010/07/from-marx-to-goldman-sachs-the-fictions-of-fictitious-capital1/
 
Whatever left of Marx? Pardon me while I slip out of these wet things and into a dry martini....


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The main problem I have is that people constantly say Marx was anti-capitlist...when he really wasnt. Dont forget his cycles of history. Capitlism is necessary to reach the next stage (socialism and the state run by the proletariat). The fact is that in capitlism the only way you profit is by exploiting someone elses work. For example, if someone works at a shoe factory and makes 10 pairs of shoes an hour that can be sold for $50 a pair that worker will not be paid $500 an hour. He will be paid some amount that is much smaller than the value of his work. The difference is profit.

Marx said that at some point the masses will get tired of this explotation and would revolt resulting in a socialist society and eventually a pure communist society. Without captilism there wouldnt be a pure communist state.

Also, too many peopple confuse Marx with the USSR, which is completly wrong. The USSR was never marxist. They were too busy trying to dominate the west than to be Marxist. I wrote a lengthy paper discussing this very topic.
 
The problem with capitalism is that there is a small minority of people who bust their asses their entire life and dont get anywhere, i feel bad for those people, but that is a downfall one must live with in order for the system to keep going.The problem with marxism is that the vast majority of people are lazy, and will only do what they need to in order to earn a pay check.

So we are stuck either producing at much higher levels through capitalism, rewarding most of the hard workers, and leaving a few hard workers behind.

OR

Rewarding everyone the same through marxism and leaving the majority of productive people behind, no matter how hard they work, and producing at a much lower level.

The choice seems pretty easy in my books.
 
Marx is alive and well, don't let the bureaucrats, war and banking oligarchs tell you otherwise.

In 1848 Marx and Engels proposed that progressive taxation be used "to wrest, by degrees, all capital from the bourgeois, to centralize all instruments of production in the hands of the state."

This is exactly what Obama, the Fed, the EU, OECD, IMF, World Bank, etc etc want: Tax Tax and more Tax.

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6297
 
We need more Darwinists.... "Survival of the fittest".

Provide for yourself or DIE. Society does not need nor benefit from an ever growing number of parasitic tit-suckers.

Grandpa told me... "The world doesn't owe you a living, boy".

Well, the world doesn't owe anybody a life, either.

:mad:
 
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