马克思的生产力决定论错了吗?——驳莱博维奇《超越〈资本论〉》中的需要决定论

Is Marx’s Determinism of Productive Forces Wrong?——Refutation of M.A.Lebowitz’s Need Determinism in His Beyond Capital

莱博维奇认为,生产力决定论或生产力的首要性命题存在着诸多盲点,这些盲点使得它在一些重要理论和现实问题面前丧失了解释力。鉴于此,作为一种替代方案,他提出了人的需要决定论或人的需要的首要性命题。立足于《资本论》及其手稿,本文指出:生产力决定论是马克思唯物史观的重要内容,它并不存在莱博维奇所说的那些理论盲点,其解释力也毋庸置疑;就人的需要而言,是物质生产决定人的需要,而不是相反。莱博维奇完全颠倒了物质生产与人的需要的关系,无视生产力和生产关系对人的需要和满足需要的方式的现实决定性;由社会生产力的发展所造成的平均利润率趋向下降规律,才是资本主义崩溃的逻辑,经济危机虽然构成资本主义崩溃的一个环节,但不能像莱博维奇那样把二者混为一谈。

M. A. Lebowitz believes that there are many blind spots in productivity determinism or the thesis of the primacy of productivity, which make it lose its explanatory power in the face of some important theoretical and practical problems. Responding to this, as an alternative, he puts forward the determinism of human needs or the thesis of the primacy of needs. Based on Das Kapital and its manuscripts, this paper points out that determinism of productivity is an important content of Marxist historical materialism. There does not exist those theoretical blind spots mentioned by Lebowitz, and its explanatory power is beyond doubt. As far as human needs are concerned, material production determines human needs, and the opposite conclusion does not hold water. Lebowitz completely reverses the relationship between material production and human needs, ignoring the realistic decisiveness of productivity and productive relations on human needs and ways of meeting needs. Finally, the law that the average profit rate tends to decline due to the development of social productive forces is the logic of the collapse of capitalism. Although the economic crisis constitutes a part of the collapse of capitalism, it can not be confused with the latter as Lebowitz did.