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1、ArticlesCLASSICALMARXISMANDTHESECONDLAWOFTHERMODYNAMICSMarx/Engels,theHeatDeathoftheUniverseHypothesis,andtheOriginsofEcologicalEconomicsJOHNBELLAMYFOSTERUniversityofOregonPAULBURKETTIndianaStateUniversityToday’sunderstandingofthesignificanceofKarlMarxandFrederickEngels’sworkforthedevelopment
2、ofbothecologicaleconomicsinparticularandecologyingeneralhasbeenhinderedbypersistentclaimsthatEngels(andbyimputationMarx)rejectedthesecondlawofthermodynamics.ItisdemonstratedherethroughtextualanalysisthatEngelscriticizednottheentropylawitselfbuttheextrapolationofthisintothe“heatdeaththeoryofth
3、euniverse”hypothesis.Thehistoricaldebatesurroundingthishypothesisisexamined,showingthatEngelsandMarxremainedconsistentwiththenaturalscienceoftheirday.ThisopensthewaytotherecognitionthatMarx’spoliticaleconomywasuniqueinthe19thcenturyinincorporatingthermodynamicsintothecoreofitsanalysis,thuspro
4、vidingthefoundationsforanecologicaleconomics.Thematerialist-dialecticalviewofclassicalMarxismledtoadynamic,open,contingentapproachtotheearthsystem,reflectingageneralevolutionaryperspective.Keywords:Marx;Engels;thermodynamics;entropy;secondlaw;ecologicaleconomics;ecology1.INTRODUCTIONEversince
5、NicholasGeorgescu-Roegen(1971)wrotehismagnumopus,TheEntropyLawandtheEconomicProcess,theentropylaw(orthesecondlawofthermodynamics)hasbeenviewedasasinequanonofecologicaleconomics.Georgescu-Roegenarguedstronglythatboththeentropylawandthefirstlawofthermodynamics(conservationofmatter–energy)werein
6、compatiblewithortho-doxneoclassicaleconomics.TherelationofecologicaleconomicstoMarxianeconomics,however,wasmuchmoreambiguous.Attemptstoexplorethehistoryofecological–economicideas,followingGeorgescu-Roegen’scontributions,immediatelybroughttotheforethecloserelationshipbetweenthosethinkerswhohad
7、pioneeredinecological–economicthinkingandclassicalMarxism.Georgescu-Roegen(1971)himselfpointed,althoughnotuncritically,toMarxandEngels’sdiscussionsofenergeticsandthermodynamicprinciples.Itwas,afterall,ashenoted,the“firstpillar”ofhistoricalmat