Marxism as a political movement appears to have exhausted itself, but Marx the thinker engages us still. In different ways Allan Megill and David Steele work to dispel the lingering shade of Marx, exposing what each sees as a deep flaw in Marxist thought. In contrast, the papers collected in Marxism and Social Sciences argue for the continued merit of many of Marx’s ideas. Each book makes a significant contribution to our ongoing dialogue with Marx. Key Words: Marxism • historical (...) materialism • calculation problem • Hegel. (shrink)
This article considers the significance of the fall of communism for the question of the truth of Marxism. It begins by considering some Marxist theories of Stalinism and some Marxist criticisms of Bolshevism. Having rejected the adequacy of those theories, the author goes on to argue that while Stalinism in part rests on a nonmarket vision of socialism derived from Marx, contrary to an argument of Carl Cohen, this vision is not deeply rooted in Marxist philosophy.
