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Marx on Capitalism
The Interaction-Recognition-Antinomy Thesis
Series: - Historical Materialism Book Series, Volume: 168
Author:
In Marx on Capitalism, James Furner offers a new answer to the fundamental question of Marxism: can a thesis connecting capital, the state and classes with the desirability of socialism be developed from an analysis of the commodity? The Interaction-Recognition-Antinomy Thesis is anchored in a systematic retranslation of Marxâs writings. It provides an antinomy-based strategy for grounding the value of social humanity in working-class agency, facilitates a dialectical derivation of political representation, and condemns capitalism as unjust without appeal to rights.
James Furner, Ph.D., is the author of several articles on Marx and Kant.
âThis path-breaking work comes at the right moment. Since the world financial crisis of 2008 Marx is more actual than ever before. With a methodologically unique combination of phenomenological sociology, analytical Marxism and commodity form philosophy, Furner gives new life to the basic concepts of Marx. Interaction and exploitation, class struggle and recognition, system and real abstraction, self-organization and dialectical contradiction are at once analytical and normative instruments to understand and change modern capitalist society. Everybody who wants to understand the present crisis of capitalism, and to give it a turn to the better before it is too late, must read this fascinating book.â
- Hauke Brunkhorst, Professor of Sociology, University of Flensburg
âAn excellent account of the relevance of dialectical contradiction and antinomy to Marxâs project.â
- Jürgen Ritsert, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Goethe University Frankfurt
âThe presuppositions and contradictions of Analytical Marxism resulted in a movement away from Marxism and towards liberal political philosophy. But what if its originators understood the German idealist tradition and what if their philological skills were as good as their analytic ones? With its careful reconstruction of Marxâs concept of exploitation and with its detailed explanation of the relation of class to capitalism, Furnerâs book marvelously answers this question: what one gets when one finds a philosopher of such talents is a compelling elaboration of central Marxian concepts, one that stakes out a tenable Marxian position within the landscape of contemporary political philosophy.â
- William S. Lewis, Professor of Philosophy, Skidmore College
âAn important contribution to the vexed debate about Marx and justice.â
- Jan Kandiyali, Assistant Professor in Philosophy, Istanbul Technical University
âIn this comprehensive, novel interpretation of Marxâs work, James Furner offers a timely reconstruction of Marxâs critique of capitalism.â
- Lawrence Hamilton, NRF/British Academy Research Professor in Political Theory, Witwatersrand and Cambridge
- Hauke Brunkhorst, Professor of Sociology, University of Flensburg
âAn excellent account of the relevance of dialectical contradiction and antinomy to Marxâs project.â
- Jürgen Ritsert, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Goethe University Frankfurt
âThe presuppositions and contradictions of Analytical Marxism resulted in a movement away from Marxism and towards liberal political philosophy. But what if its originators understood the German idealist tradition and what if their philological skills were as good as their analytic ones? With its careful reconstruction of Marxâs concept of exploitation and with its detailed explanation of the relation of class to capitalism, Furnerâs book marvelously answers this question: what one gets when one finds a philosopher of such talents is a compelling elaboration of central Marxian concepts, one that stakes out a tenable Marxian position within the landscape of contemporary political philosophy.â
- William S. Lewis, Professor of Philosophy, Skidmore College
âAn important contribution to the vexed debate about Marx and justice.â
- Jan Kandiyali, Assistant Professor in Philosophy, Istanbul Technical University
âIn this comprehensive, novel interpretation of Marxâs work, James Furner offers a timely reconstruction of Marxâs critique of capitalism.â
- Lawrence Hamilton, NRF/British Academy Research Professor in Political Theory, Witwatersrand and Cambridge
Acknowledgements References and Abbreviations
1 The Interaction-Recognition-Antinomy Thesis â1âThe Interaction Component â2âThe Recognition Component â3âThe First Antinomy â4âThe Second Antinomy â5âAn Outline of the Argument âAppendix: A Note on Translation
2 Analytical Marxism â1âThe Project of Analytical Marxism â2âDialectical Contradiction â3âIntrastructuration â4âConclusion
3 Commodity Form Philosophy â1âUse-Value â2âValue â3âCommodities and Goods â4âUse-Values, Goods and Duties to the Whole â5âThe Commodity, Dialectical Contradiction and Real Abstraction â6âAntinomies of the Commodity Form
4 Action â1âCapitalâs Description of Human Labour â2âIn-Order-To Motives and Because Motives â3âOrientation to an In-Order-To Motive â4âThe Form of an In-Order-To Motive â5âAction and Abstraction
5 Social Relations â1âMarxâs General Remarks on Social Relations â2âSchützâs Typology of Social Action â3âInteraction as a Relation of Mutual Affecting â4âThe Problem of Normativity â5âAn Interactional Conception of a Social Relation of Production â6âSome Objections â7âThe Objection from Structure â8âThe Objection from Consciousness â9âThe Problem of Legality
6 System and Bearer â1âA Generalised Interactions Conception of Social Structure â2âSociological Thought and the Concept of Social Role â3âThe Features of a System â4âThe Capitalist Structure as a System â5âThe Capitalist Structure as a System (Continued) â6âActors as Bearers
7 Purchase and Sale â1âExchange â2âIndependent Exchange of Products â3âPossession: Savigny and Marx â4âCommodities and Money
8 Exploitation â1âThe Quantitative Marxist View of Exploitation â2âA Non-Normative Concept of Exploitation â3âBazard, Marx and the Five Conditions for Exploitation â4âThe Benefit Condition â5âThe Harm Condition â6âThe Causal Condition â7âThe Consequence Condition â8âThe Means-to-Ends Condition â9âThe System Universalisability Conception of Exploitation â10âCapitalist Labour-Exploitation â11âThe Exploitation and Need Problem â12âThe Agency Problem â13âThe Capitalism, Rights and Injustice Problem â14âSummary
9 Recognition and Self-Ownership â1âA Pragmatic Conception of Recognition â2âPossession, Private Property Ownership and Recognition â3âAs-If Mutual Recognition in Purchase and Sale â4âMarxâs Concept of a Person â5âSecurity and Self-Ownership
10 Recognition and Bureaucratic Domination â1âMarxâs General Conception of Domination â2âDomination and the Will â3âDomination and Alien Will â4âDomination and Recognition â5âMarxâs Conception of Domination Restated â6âFormal and Real Subsumption â7âDomination and Formal Subsumption â8âDomination and Real Subsumption â9âThe Recognition Condition and Occupational Identity â10âSummary
11 Antinomy and State Form â1âA Derivation of the Juridical Logic of Freedom of Choice â2âIndividual Human Rights â3âThe System of Capitalist Production and Popular Sovereignty â4âThe Antinomy of Natural Rights and Popular Authorisation â5âParliamentary Representation â6âThe Separation of Powers
12 The Rights-Antinomy and Class Struggle â1âAn Antagonistic Interdependency Conception of Classes â2âClass Antagonism at the Macro-Level â3âThe Self-Consciousness of the Commodity â4âCapitalâs Antinomy Passage: A Reconstruction â5âThe Rights-Antinomy and the Capitalist Class Interest Claim â6âInterest Privilege and Possible Practical Awareness â7âThe Rights-Antinomy, Recognition and Union Organisation â8âWorking-Class Movements â9âA Resolution of Both Antinomies
Conclusion â1âExploitation and Injustice â2âThe Disappearance of Analytical Marxism â3âThe State of Capitalist Society â4âRevolutionary Awareness
Bibliography Index
1 The Interaction-Recognition-Antinomy Thesis â1âThe Interaction Component â2âThe Recognition Component â3âThe First Antinomy â4âThe Second Antinomy â5âAn Outline of the Argument âAppendix: A Note on Translation
2 Analytical Marxism â1âThe Project of Analytical Marxism â2âDialectical Contradiction â3âIntrastructuration â4âConclusion
3 Commodity Form Philosophy â1âUse-Value â2âValue â3âCommodities and Goods â4âUse-Values, Goods and Duties to the Whole â5âThe Commodity, Dialectical Contradiction and Real Abstraction â6âAntinomies of the Commodity Form
4 Action â1âCapitalâs Description of Human Labour â2âIn-Order-To Motives and Because Motives â3âOrientation to an In-Order-To Motive â4âThe Form of an In-Order-To Motive â5âAction and Abstraction
5 Social Relations â1âMarxâs General Remarks on Social Relations â2âSchützâs Typology of Social Action â3âInteraction as a Relation of Mutual Affecting â4âThe Problem of Normativity â5âAn Interactional Conception of a Social Relation of Production â6âSome Objections â7âThe Objection from Structure â8âThe Objection from Consciousness â9âThe Problem of Legality
6 System and Bearer â1âA Generalised Interactions Conception of Social Structure â2âSociological Thought and the Concept of Social Role â3âThe Features of a System â4âThe Capitalist Structure as a System â5âThe Capitalist Structure as a System (Continued) â6âActors as Bearers
7 Purchase and Sale â1âExchange â2âIndependent Exchange of Products â3âPossession: Savigny and Marx â4âCommodities and Money
8 Exploitation â1âThe Quantitative Marxist View of Exploitation â2âA Non-Normative Concept of Exploitation â3âBazard, Marx and the Five Conditions for Exploitation â4âThe Benefit Condition â5âThe Harm Condition â6âThe Causal Condition â7âThe Consequence Condition â8âThe Means-to-Ends Condition â9âThe System Universalisability Conception of Exploitation â10âCapitalist Labour-Exploitation â11âThe Exploitation and Need Problem â12âThe Agency Problem â13âThe Capitalism, Rights and Injustice Problem â14âSummary
9 Recognition and Self-Ownership â1âA Pragmatic Conception of Recognition â2âPossession, Private Property Ownership and Recognition â3âAs-If Mutual Recognition in Purchase and Sale â4âMarxâs Concept of a Person â5âSecurity and Self-Ownership
10 Recognition and Bureaucratic Domination â1âMarxâs General Conception of Domination â2âDomination and the Will â3âDomination and Alien Will â4âDomination and Recognition â5âMarxâs Conception of Domination Restated â6âFormal and Real Subsumption â7âDomination and Formal Subsumption â8âDomination and Real Subsumption â9âThe Recognition Condition and Occupational Identity â10âSummary
11 Antinomy and State Form â1âA Derivation of the Juridical Logic of Freedom of Choice â2âIndividual Human Rights â3âThe System of Capitalist Production and Popular Sovereignty â4âThe Antinomy of Natural Rights and Popular Authorisation â5âParliamentary Representation â6âThe Separation of Powers
12 The Rights-Antinomy and Class Struggle â1âAn Antagonistic Interdependency Conception of Classes â2âClass Antagonism at the Macro-Level â3âThe Self-Consciousness of the Commodity â4âCapitalâs Antinomy Passage: A Reconstruction â5âThe Rights-Antinomy and the Capitalist Class Interest Claim â6âInterest Privilege and Possible Practical Awareness â7âThe Rights-Antinomy, Recognition and Union Organisation â8âWorking-Class Movements â9âA Resolution of Both Antinomies
Conclusion â1âExploitation and Injustice â2âThe Disappearance of Analytical Marxism â3âThe State of Capitalist Society â4âRevolutionary Awareness
Bibliography Index
Anyone interested in Marx and Marxism, critical theory, post-Kantian political philosophy, phenomenological sociology, and theories of capitalism.