Mike Yates wrote: >Preferences are always formed within a social setting, and this social setting can be altered by political struggle. So, in this sense, preferences are concerns of radical thinkers and activists. We surely do not want to get into bed with Friedman and his ilk, saying that we are "free to choose" as if nothing social shapes our free choosing. The problem I had with my economics education is that in 50-odd economics classes, we never discussed the political nature of the constraints within we make our choices.< right! I have three reasons why Marxists (and leftists) should spend some effort to understand psychology (though always in a social context): 1) it's the whole issue of _consciousness_ that has occupied Marxist political activists since Lenin: how can we, the good guys, convince the workers and other oppressed people of the nature of their long-term or class interests? 2) it's also related to the issue of alienation. Yes, alienation is more of a socio-economic than a psychological phenomenon, but it does have a psychological impact. 3) Most people have some kind of psychological vision -- from the economists' tautologically-true behaviorism to many people's self-actualization and self-esteem theory. We need to be able to talk to them and criticize them. in pen-l solidarity, Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] & http://clawww.lmu.edu/Departments/ECON/jdevine.html
