Against epistemology and foundationalism

from the theory of political economy to social practice

pp. 135-164

in: George Mccarthy, Marx's critique of science and positivism, Berlin, Springer, 1988

Abstract

The central focus of this book has been on the meta-theoretical foundation of Marx" political economy as it develops from an analysis of epistemology to that of methodology and from method to the issue of scientific validation and social practice. Each part is a crucial link in the overall chain of issues as the crisis of science and epistemology pushes the argument from questions about the foundations of social science to those about "theory and practice". It is in this light that the relationship between 19th-century German Idealism and contemporary post-empiricist philosophy of science becomes very useful, for the latter too has gone through its own evaluation of the crisis of science. This chapter will continue the analysis of Capital, but not deal with the mechanics or internal logic of the work. Rather, it will examine the reasons behind the development of a social theory based on a dialectical critique of political economy and the epistemological and methodological necessity of building the idea of social practice into its own meta-theory.