Sergio Cesaratto - Agency, functionalism, and all that. A Sraffian view

jpe:11637 - Journal of Philosophical Economics, February 19, 2024, Volume XVII - https://doi.org/10.46298/jpe.11637
Agency, functionalism, and all that. A Sraffian viewArticle

Authors: Sergio Cesaratto ORCID1

  • 1 Dipartimento di Economia Politica e Statistica

Former contributions examined the approach to institutions and economic history that can be derived from the classical and Marxian 'surplus approach' as particularly recovered by Piero Sraffa (1951) and Pierangelo Garegnani (1960). The present paper deals with the allegation levelled against historical materialism-and consequently against the surplus approach to institutions-of organicism or functionalism. Organicism is said to look at individuals as passive vectors functionally serving in various capabilities the reproduction and destiny of society as a whole. In this way human agency in the operation and change of society is excluded or at least restrained. Methodological individualism is the traditional alternative supported both by neoclassical and by (some) Marxist schools. The literature over the 'agency versus structure' determination of human behaviour in social and human sciences is immense. I will therefore limit myself to some episodes that may however provide enough food for thought on this field. I shall defend a functionalist view of society while giving space to individual intentional action and aspirations, albeit informed by historical conditioning circumstances. Historical reconstruction of the objective and subjective features of the economic formations under examination, rather than the empty and a-historical study of individual choices, unrelated to the social context, looks like the way to go. Agency must be historically contextualised.


Volume: Volume XVII
Section: Articles
Published on: February 19, 2024
Accepted on: January 22, 2024
Submitted on: July 25, 2023
Keywords: Agency,Structure,Classical surplus approch,Popper,Marx,Thompson,[SHS]Humanities and Social Sciences

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