DOI: https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2019-4-483-491

Marx’s theoretical heritage and modernity. Part 1. Marx’s theoretical heritage and some actual issues of contemporary social sciences

Lyeva A. Musayelyan
Doctor of Philosophy, Docent,
Head of the Department of Philosophy

Perm State University,
15, Bukirev st., Perm, 614990, Russia;
e-mail: lmusaelyan@yandex.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0134-5871

The challenges facing global capitalism testify to the systemic crisis of the bourgeois civilization. This determines the increased interest in Marx, whose works are causing heated debate, as it was a hundred years ago. Such interest is also explained by practical implementation of his ideas, which changed the history in the 21st century. The article Marx’s Theoretical Heritage and Modernity consists of two parts. The first part contains a brief analysis of Marx’s heritage and shows Marx’s methodology of researching society as a strong point of his teaching. However, this methodology demonstrates its heuristic possibilities only when Marx’s theory is seen not as a fixed dogma but as a creative doctrine that is supposed to evolve with the change of society. The article shows what ideas of Marx’s economic teaching are in demand today and require further development in connection with the transition of capitalism to its post-industrial stage and the formation of a monopolistic global world order. At the present time, Marx’s political economy does not cause so much controversy as philosophy, political theory and their relationship do. The article analyzes the points of view existing in scientific literature and shows the fallacy of separating Marx’s political theory from his philosophy and especially opposing the former to the latter. The article also considers the problem of authorship of political theory.

Keywords: Marx’s theoretical heritage, Soviet Union, political economy, Capital, globalization, philosophy, political philosophy, revolution, «nationalization», totalitarianism.

References

Aron, R. (1993). Etapy razvitiya sotsiologicheskoy mysli [The stages of sociological thought]. Moscow: Progress–Politika Publ., 608 p.

Bogdanov, A.A. (1990). Pis’mo Lunacharskomu. 19 noyabrya (2 dekabrya) 1917 g. [Letter to Lunacharsky. November 19 (December 2), 1917]. Voprosy sotsializma: Raboty raznykh let [Socialism: Works of different years]. Moscow: Politizdat Publ., pp. 352–355.

Bogdanov, A.A. (1990). Voprosy sotsializma [Socialism issues]. Voprosy sotsializma: Raboty raznykh let [Socialism: Works of different years]. Moscow: Politizdat Publ., pp. 295–351.

Engels, F. (1965). Pis’mo K. Shmidtu, 27 okt. 1890 g. [A letter to Conrad Schmidt, October 27, 1890]. Marks K., Engels F. Sochineniya: v 50 t. [Marx K., Engels F. Works: in 50 vols]. Moscow: Politizdat Publ., vol. 37, pp. 414–422.

Engels, F. (1965). Pis’mo P. Ernstu, 5 iyunya. 1890 g. [A letter to Paul Ernst, June 5, 1890]. Marks K., Engels F. Sochineniya: v 50 t. [Marx K., Engels F. Works: in 50 vols]. Moscow: Politizdat Publ., vol. 37, pp. 350–353.

Engels, F. (1961). Pokhorony Karla Marksa [Karl Marx’s Funeral]. Marks K., Engels F. Sochineniya: v 50 t. [Marx K., Engels F. Works: in 50 vols]. Moscow: Politizdat Publ., vol. 19, pp. 350–354.

Gramsci, A. (1961). Tyuremnye tetradi. Ch. 1 [Prison notebooks. Notebook 1]. Moscow: Politizdat Publ., 560 p.

Lenin, V.I. (1969). Gosudarstvo i revolyutsiya [The state and revolution]. Lenin V.I. Polnoe sobranie sochineniy [Lenin V.I. Collected works]. Moscow: Politizdat Publ., vol. 33, pp. 1–120.

Mezhuev, V.M. (2007). Marx protiv marksizma. Stat’i na nepopulyarnuyu temu [Marx against Marxism : Articles on an unpopular theme]. Moscow: Kul’turnaya Revolyutsiya Publ., 176 p.

Musaelyan, L.A. (2016). Istoricheskiy protsess i globalizatsiya [Historical process and globalization]. Perm: PSU Publ., 128 p.

Oizerman, T.I. (2002). Marksistskaya kontseptsiya sotsializma i real’nyy sotsializm [The Marxist idea of socialism and real socialism]. Voprosy filosofii [Russian Studies in Philosophy]. No. 2, pp. 3–13.

Rockmore, T. (2016). Piketti, marksistskaya politicheskaya ekonomiya i zakon tendentsii normy pribyli k ponizheniyu [Piketty, Marxian political economy and the law of the falling rate of profit]. Voprosy filosofii [Russian Studies in Philosophy]. No. 6, pp. 29–37.

Shevchenko, V.N. (2018). Marks i marksizm: vzglyad iz XXI veka [Marx and Marxism: a view from the 21st century]. Filosofskie nauki [Russian Journal of Philosophical Sciences]. No. 1, pp. 7–26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30727/0235-1188-2018-1-7-26

Yakovets, Yu.V. (1999). Tsykly, krizisy, prognozy [Cycles, crises, forecasts]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 448 p.

Vasil’eva, T.S. and Orlov, V.V. (2005). Filosofiya ekonomiki [Philosophy of economics]. Perm: PSU Publ., 264 p.

Wheen F. (2003). Karl Marks [Karl Marx]. Moscow:AST Publ., 429 p.

Žižek, S. (2003). 13 opytov o Lenine [13 experiments about Lenin]. Moscow: Ad Marginem Publ., 256 p.

Received 03.10.2019

For citation:

Musayelyan L.A. [Marx’s theoretical heritage and modernity. Part 1. Marx’s theoretical heritage and some actual issues of contemporary social sciences]. Vestnik Permskogo universiteta. Filosofia. Psihologia. Sociologia [Perm University Herald. Series «Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology»], 2019, issue 4, pp. 483–491 (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2019-4-483-491