Marx's economics as a theory of economic systems

Summary The paper attempts to analyze some system specific properties of the Marxian approach. The more conventional strands of economics have a strong praxiological or decision theoretic character, which makes them to identify the economic with a purely conceptual system. They are mainly interested in developments inside the system. Marx deals preferentially with developments of the system itself. His concept of a social system is, therefore, dialectical in the sense that it contains an evolutionary hypothesis. Furthermore, Marx does not start from isolated individuals, as does conventional theory: he rather views society as a totality of people interacting in the process of production. The historical conditions and determinants of this production process are the object of his thinking.This article is based on an inaugural lecture delivered at the University of Groningen on March 16, 1976. The author gratefully acknowledges helpful criticism of earlier versions by F. J. de Jong, S. K. Kuipers and J. Steindl. Many points of dispute remained.