hey all, in this piece - http://libcom.org/library/whither-the-world - Dauve and Nesic say "Averages truly are outrages upon real individuals, Marx wrote in 1844." Anyone know where Marx says this? I've looked and can't find it. I'm guessing it's either a paraphrase or a translation issue. Any help finding the particular passage they might have been referring to? Thanks.
Jun 30 2013 19:20
Jul 1 2013 22:01
Thanks Lurdan. I looked for a while and I'm pretty sure that bit's not been translated into English. I found it in German via googlebooks.
books.google.com/books?id=ItQHTJuzXJwC&lpg=PA480&vq=injurien einzelnen wirklichen Individuen&pg=PA480#v=onepage
Prevost lobt die Richarden, "ces profonds économistes," dass sie die Wissenschaft auf eine grosse Einfachheit reduziert haben, "en écartant toutes les circonstances accidentelles" (wie der grosse Ricardo z. B. die Zahl der Leute, die en Land bewohnen), "qui auraient pu les arrêter dans leurs généralisations." p176[=177.] not.1. Was beweisen aber diese moyennes? Dass immer mehr von den Menschen abstrahiert, immer mehr das wirkliche Leben bei Seite gesetzt und di abstrakte Bewegung des materiellen, unmenschlichen Eigentums betrachtet wird. Die Durschnittszahlen sind förmliche Beschimpfungen \ Injurien der einzelnen wirklichen Individuen."
My German is really bad and my French is worse. I found the last part of that quote quoted in Spanish here - http://books.google.com/books?id=dwR0JPIoasAC&lpg=PA139&ots=c49IoJ4IA8&dq=Marx%20prevost%20ricardo%20%22promedios%20son%20insultos%20en%20toda%20regla%22&pg=PA139#v=onepage&q=Marx%20prevost%20ricardo%20%22promedios%20son%20insultos%20en%20toda%20regla%22&f=false
"Pero, que demuestran esas medias? que cada vez se abstrae mas de los hombres, que cada vez prescinde mas de la vida real para atender al movimiento abstracto de la propiedad material, inhumana. Los promedios son insultos en toda regla, injurias contra los individuos reales, singulares."
My Spanish is rusty too but here's a crack at translating from the Spanish. I'd be interested in someone with good German and French translating the original bit.
"But what is demonstrated by these averages? Each time one abstracts further from men, one abstracts more from real life in order to look at abstract movement of material, inhuman property. Averages are insults through and through, injuries against real, singular individuals."
Jul 2 2013 19:22
My German is quite bad, but this quote seems pretty straight forward:
"But what is proven by these averages? The more you abstract from men, the more real life is set aside, and the abstract movement of material, inhuman properties is considered. The averages are veritable insults to actually existing individuals."
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In the (somewhat different) french version of the text ('Il va falloir attendre. Bref rapport sur l'état du monde') the quote is given as
and that footnote gives the following reference :
That page in the Rubel Oeuvres actually contains one of a number of extracts from Marx's 1843-45 'Paris notebooks', this one translated from MEGA III p. 556. It's a note on G. Prévost , Reflexions du traducteur sur le système de Ricardo.
The extract reads :
Prévost loue les ricardiens, "ces profonds économistes, d'avoir réduit la science à une grande simplicité, en prenant pour base les moyennes, et en écartant toutes les circonstances accidentelles (comme le grand Ricardo, par exemple, écarte le nombre des habitants d'un pays) qui auraient pu les arrêter dans leurs généralisations". Mais ces moyennes, qu'ést-ce qu'elles prouvent? Que l'on fait de plus en plus abstraction des hommes, que l'on écarte de plus en plus la vie réelle, et que l'on ne considère que le mouvement abstrait de la propriété matérielle, inhumaine. Les moyennes sont de vrais outrages infligés aux individus réels.
It's not among the extracts translated in O'Malley's Early Political Writngs. If there is an English translation of it I'd be interested to know myself.