CONCERNING HISTORICAL MATERIALISM VIEWED AS A SCIENCE OF SOCIAL ECONOMICS 1. Relation between Professor Stammler's book on historical materialism and Marxism: Distinction between pure economics and general historical economics: Socialism not dependent on abstract sociological theory: Stammler's classification of the social sciences: His definition of society: Of social economics: Of social teleology: Nature of Stammler's social science does not provide abstract sociology: Social economics must be either pure economics applied to society or a form of history 25 CHAPTER III CONCERNING THE INTERPRETATION AND CRITICISM OF SOME CONCEPTS OF MARXISM I. OF THE SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM IN MARX'S 'DAS KAPITAL' _Das Kapital_ an abstract investigation: His society is not this or that society: Treats only of capitalist society: Assumption of equivalence between value and labour: Varying views about meaning of this law: Is a postulate or standard of comparison: Question as to value of this standard: Is not a moral ideal: Treats of economic society in so far as is a working society: Shows special way in which problem is solved in capitalist society: Marx's deductions from it 48 II. MARX'S PROBLEM AND PURE ECONOMICS (GENERAL ECONOMIC SCIENCE) Marxian economics not general economic science and labour-value not a general concept of value: Engels' rejection of general economic law: abstract concepts used by Marx are concepts of pure economics: relation of economic psychology to pure economics: pure economics does not destroy history or progress 66 III. CONCERNING THE LIMITATION OF THE MATERIALISTIC THEORY OF HISTORY Historical materialism a canon of historical interpretation: Canon does not imply anticipation of results: Question as to how Marx and Engels understood it: Difficulty of ascertaining correctly and method of doing so: How Marxians understand it: Their metaphysical tendency: Instances of confusion of concepts in their writings: Historical materialism has not a special philosophy immanent within it 77 IV. OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN FACE OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS Socialism and free trade not scientific deductions: Obsolete metaphysics of old theory of free trade: Basis of modern free trade theories not strictly scientific though only possible one: The desirable is not science nor the practicable: Scientific law only applicable under certain conditions: Element of daring in all action 93 V. OF ETHICAL JUDGMENT IN FACE OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS Meaning of Marx's phrase the 'impotence of morality' and his remark that morality condemns what has been condemned by history: Profundity of Marx's philosophy immaterial: Kant's position not surpassed 106 VI. CONCLUSION