Response To Three Reviews

• Published in: Review of Social Economy Vol. 60; no. 2; pp. 307 - 311
• Main Authors: Dugger, William M., Sherman, Howard J.
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 01.06.2002; Routledge Journals; Taylor and Francis Journals
• Series: Review of Social Economy
• Subjects: Democracy; Economic Models; Institutions; Marxist Analysis; Social Evolution; Symposium on "Reclaiming Evolution"
• ISSN: 0034-6764; 1470-1162
• DOI: 10.1080/0034676022000017525

A reply to a review symposium on a book by William M. Dugger & Howard J. Sherman, Reclaiming Evolution: A Dialogue between Marxism and Institutionalism on Social Change (New York: Routledge, 2000). Enrico Marcelli is lauded for arguing that Dugger & Sherman's tools can be applied to fields outside their expertise. Dugger & Sherman agree with John B. Foster that they did not fully critique pre- & antievolutionary mainstream economics; however, a complete assessment was not their intent, preferring to focus on clarifying the concept of social evolution & synthesizing Marxism & institutionalism (ie, Veblen), which Foster said they succeeded in doing. John Henry's critique of Dugger & Sherman's myths is tackled in more detail. They argue that there is, in fact, a two-way causation from & to myth &, for example, inequality. They counter Henry's (1) assertions that they do not fully explicate how myth is propagated; (2) criticisms of their account of democracy; (3) claim that Sherman contradicted himself in first stating that the US has democracy, then saying it did not have one in the 1950s; & (4) argument that democracy is unnecessary in a completely equal society. 1 Reference. J. Zendejas