[P2P-F] Analytical marxism, John Roemer and equality of opportunity

Mon Dec 26 09:04:10 CET 2011

I just found him. His methodology seems very similar to mine. He also has
an interest to equality of opportunity.

>From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_Marxism
Exploitation

At the same time as Cohen was working on *Karl Marx's Theory of History*,
American economist John Roemer was employing neoclassical economics in
order to try to defend the Marxist concepts of
exploitation<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploitation>
and class <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_class>. In his *General
Theory of Exploitation and Class* (1982), Roemer employed rational
choice<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_choice>
 and game theory <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory> in order to
demonstrate how exploitation and class relations may arise in the
development of a market for labour. Roemer would go on to reject the idea
that the labour theory of
value<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_theory_of_value> was
necessary for explaining exploitation and class. Value was in principle
capable of being explained in terms of any class of commodity inputs, such
as oil, wheat, etc., rather than being exclusively explained by embodied
labour power. Roemer was led to the conclusion that exploitation and class
were thus generated not in the sphere of production but of market exchange.
Significantly, as a purely technical category, exploitation did not always
imply a moral wrong (see section
Justice<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_Marxism#Justice>
 below).

I am unfamiliar with his beliefs. I for example believe that the ownership
of the means of production are those that create trading routes that allow
the market exchange to magnify wealth inequality. I am uncertain though as
to who is the victim of exploitation. I think that dependent on the
ocassion both the consumer and the workers could be exploited.

Even If it turns out that I disagree with him, He uses rationale choice
theory to explain things like I do.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_choice_theory

I wonder what happened to this school of thought, most importantly why it
hasnt replaced marxism all together. I dont think that this theory is
plagued with revisionism, It isnt difficult to avoid determinism while you
keep using mathematical models. it has in fact better more concrete
foundations than before.

-- 

Sincerely yours,

     Apostolis Xekoukoulotakis
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