Yet another critique of Marx

[punisa]

Here it is:
http://www.indepthinfo.com/communist-manifesto/analysis.shtml

I find it rather shallow, check this out:
"Yet the real problem with the Marxian ideas imbued in the manifesto might be that Marx misunderstood which class would ultimately subsume all the others. He was under the impression that laborers must ultimately take over the means of production and so destroy the capitalist system.

What he could not understand was that the means of production would become less and less expensive all the time due to efficiencies in production. Workers would themselves become entrepreneurs in free and republican societies. The advent of computers, and inexpensive access to the tools of a service industry would make small business a dominant and driving force. "

Is this a typical pro-capitalist argument or should we discuss it further?

[Red Commissar]

Sounds like petit bourgeois apologetics for me. Marx knew the means of production would become more and more efficient and cost-effective. Unlike this guy's slob about small businesses though, it would be further centralized and concentrated in the hands of large industrialists, not made more accessible to "small business".

Thinking "small businesses" have suddenly come out on top is just idiotic. It's not what history has shown and what the current situation is showing.

There are other problems with Marx, but this is not one of them.

[punisa]

Thanks for a good response.



There are other problems with Marx, but this is not one of them.
Any links regarding some real critique of Marx? Preferably from a socialist perspective.

[Paulappaul]

The Fate of Marxism (http://libcom.org/library/fate-marxism-paul-cardan) - By Cornelius Castoriadis a.k.a Paul Cardan of Socialisme ou Barbarie. He comes at the whole thing with an interesting hodge-podge of Socialist tendencies, and remains inspirational to Humanist and Left Communist Marxists.

[syndicat]

What he could not understand was that the means of production would become less and less expensive all the time due to efficiencies in production. Workers would themselves become entrepreneurs in free and republican societies. The advent of computers, and inexpensive access to the tools of a service industry would make small business a dominant and driving force. "



complete crap. the proportion of small business owners has continued to decline over time in the USA. employees in computer industry are either workers or part of bureaucratic class (system architects, business development people, managers).

i worked as a tech writer for over 20 years in high tech, and I've seen endless consolidation. startups are formed to be bought up by big capitalist firms. two of the companies i worked for were absorbed by big capitalist combines.

[KC]

Look at any statistics from any country about the proportion of capital/resources the largest firms in a given industry control and this argument is blown entirely out of the water.

This is an attempt by the biggest morons on earth to attempt to justify the "democratic, progressive" nature of capitalism that died at the turn of the 20th century. While I do think that there has historically been more development of small business since the end of the imperialist great wars, this has been due to a disproportionate expansion of the capitalist system and not due to any new found democracy or liberty of small businesses. Large firms, as I have already said, control the vast majority of any given industry. Capitalist expansion has merely given more "wiggle room" for small businesses to operate within. This is why, when great periods of contraction occur, small businesses are hit the hardest, giving large firms the opportunity to come in and buy off their share of the market for a pittance. It is one of a few reasons why large corporations benefit during periods of contraction.

[NewSocialist]

Any links regarding some real critique of Marx? Preferably from a socialist perspective.

Albert and Hahnel's book "Unorthodox Marxism" is a socialist critique of Marxism - http://www.amazon.com/Unorthodox-Marxism-Capitalism-Socialism-Revolution/dp/0896080048/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297314845&sr=8-1

[Zanthorus]

The Fate of Marxism (http://libcom.org/library/fate-marxism-paul-cardan) - By Cornelius Castoriadis a.k.a Paul Cardan of Socialisme ou Barbarie. He comes at the whole thing with an interesting hodge-podge of Socialist tendencies, and remains inspirational to Humanist and Left Communist Marxists.

Castoriadis is just ridiculous, he continued to hold the viewpoint that capitalism had overcome it's tendencies towards crisis, thus refuting the 'dogmatic' Marxists, through the 1970's. His only 'influence' on Left-Communism was as one of the 'modernists' who so inspired Bordiga's fury and led to his crusade against any and all attempts to update or revise Marx's work.