Against Methodological Individualist Interpretation of Marxist Explanations of Social Phenomena

Abstract

ABSTRACTMarx’s theory of history and his economic studies into the nature of capitalism undoubtedly build upon the work of classical economics. In completing the labour theory of value in many ways Marx also completed the project of classical economics. Yet Marx based his work upon the refutation of many key principles of classical economics. Confusion reigns over the contours of the conflict between Marx and classical economics. This confusion has been exacerbated by fluctuations in the fortunes of classical economics over recent decades. In the 1980s, Anglophone scholars tried to critically re-examine Marx’s historical materialism with many methodological principles from classical economics. Among the most rigorous attempts was that made by Jon Elster in his Making Sense of Marx (1985). Elster applied his version of methodological individualism to historical materialism in an attempt to purge it of what he saw as methodologically unsound elements and extract the worthwhile explanations from it that were compatible with his methodological individualism. This article argues that Elster fails to justify the purgative imposition of his methodological individualism onto Marx’s historical materialism. In addition, Marx’s method is based upon an argued rejection of the core principles of methodological individualism and Elster ignores this argument. Elster’s attempt is fundamentally erroneous. The only way of imposing methodological individualism onto Marx’s historical materialism is by robbing the latter of its meaning.