A critique of the technological interpretation of historical materialism
Philosophy of the Social Sciences 22 (2):157-186 (1992)
| Abstract | This essay examines and criticizes G. A. Cohen's interpretation of Marx's materialistic conception of history as presented in Cohen's book Karl Marx's Theory of History. In particular, the author attacks Cohen's Primacy Thesis, the claim that (for Marx) human technology is the primary explanatory factor for economic and social change and for historical development generally. The focus of the attack is Cohen's way of distinguishing between the material and social characteristics, or the content and form, of a system of production. The argument is that Cohen's distinctions are defective and therefore fail to provide adequate support for the Primacy Thesis and that, moreover, the position that Cohen defends is not Marx's. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,701 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesNancy Holmstrom (1983). Marx and Cohen on Exploitation and the Labor Theory of Value. Inquiry 26 (3):287 – 307.
G. A. Cohen (1982). Functional Explanation, Consequence Explanation, and Marxism. Inquiry 25 (1):27 – 56.
Alan Carling (1993). Analytical Marxism and Historical Materialism: The Debate on Social Evolution. Science and Society 57 (1):31 - 65.
Henry Laycock (1980). Karl Marx's Theory of History, a Defense by G. A. Cohen; Marx's Theory of History by William H. Shaw. Canadian Journal of Philosophy 10 (2):335-356.
G. A. Cohen (2000). Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence. Oxford University Press.
Colin Farrelly (2005). Historical Materialism and Supervenience. Philosophy of the Social Sciences 35 (4):420-446.
Simon Kennedy (2005). G.A. Cohen's Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence. Historical Materialism 13 (4):331-344.
Joel Dickman (1990). Two Qualms About Functionalist Marxism. Philosophy of Science 57 (4):631-643.
Sean Sayers (1984). Marxism and the Dialectical Method: A Critique of G.A. Cohen. Radical Philosophy (36):4-13.
Charles W. Mills (1989). Is It Immaterial That There's a 'Material' in 'Historical Materialism'? Inquiry 32 (3):323 – 342.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads21 ( #58,767 of 549,124 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,361 of 549,124 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
