robert fine - democracy and the rule of law (ch 7)

8/10/2019 Robert Fine - Democracy and the Rule of Law (Ch 7)

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Fine, Robert. Democracy and the rule of law: liberal ideals and Marxist critiques. 2 ed.

London: Pluto Press, 1984. Cha ter ! " #$entieth%Centur& #heories

The withering away of law and the state: Evgeni Pashukanis

'(a das rinci ais )irtudes de Pashu*anis + que sua teoria cr tica do direito n-o

se li(ita as ocasi es nas quais Marx tece co(ent/rios sobre o 0stado e o ireito, (as a

desen)ol)e e( deri)a -o direta do (+todo (arxiano de constru -o da cr tica da

econo(ia ol tica. 0le desen)ol)e a analo3ia e a deri)a -o entre o etichis(o do )alor e

o etichis(o da lei, entre a teoria do )alor e a teoria do direito. 5#hus he anal&sed la$ as

a historical or( o re3ulation ex ressin3 the e(er3ence o de inite social relations

bet$een indi)iduals, 6ust as Marx anal&sed )alue and ca ital as the ex ression o

de inite social relations7 F 0, 1984, . 1;;rica, (as re resenta u(a rela -o de autoridade es ec ica. 5#his

constituted a 3reat ad)ance o)er theories o la$ $hich either i3nored the or( o la$

and equated la$ $ith authorit& in 3eneral, or ideali?ed the or( o la$, dissociated it

ro( social relations and resented it as the natural and eternal condition o an& and

e)er& social order7 . 1;;


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interesses ri)ados s-o u(a re(issa desse (es(o direito. 0ssa or(a de direito de)e

ser contra osta a de(ais or(as 6/ existentes e oss )eis de direito.

Pashu*anis sho$ed ho$, in the course o their de)elo (ent, le3al relationsta*e on the ob6ecti)e or( o a third art& re resentin3 la$, $ho acts as a

(ediator bet$een the con lictin3 clai(s o ri)al arties. #he etishis( o thela$ is thereb& increased, as a social relation o do(ination bet$een oneindi)idual and another a ears in the (&sti ied or( o (utual subordinationto an i( ersonal authorit&B authorit&, in other $ords, is abstracted ro( therelations bet$een eo le o $hich it is in act an ex ression. #he la$Da ears as a sub6ect in its o$n ri3ht di)orced ro( indi)idualsB at the sa(eti(e it a ears as neutral arbitrator bet$een ri)al clai(ants, $hereas it in act

ut its social $ei3ht behind one clai(ant or another and so resol)esDdis utes b& )irtue o its o$er rather than its i( artialit&. n this role there resents itsel as the ublic interest, $hereas in realit& it is one ri)ateinterest a(on3 others. #he e(er3ence o the state ta*es the etishis( to itshi3hest oint, since class relations ta*e the or( not o direct do(ination o one class b& another but o indirect do(ination, (ediated b& the state. .

1;! rio Fine reconhece que Pashu*anis este6a consciente dessa trans or(a -o hist>rica

ao re licar arte da an/lise do 6urista russo sobre o direito eudal. essa assa3e(

Pashu*anis de(onstra a es eci icidade do direito (oderno e( rela -o ao direito eudal,

u(a )e? que este + u( atributo de u( su6eito es ec ico concreto, o direito se con unde

co( o ri)il+3io, relaciona%se co( a es eci icidade do lu3arB dessa (aneira u(

conceito de su6eito le3al abstrato era ausente. sso re)ela a erce -o do 6urista russo do

rocesso de e)olu -o hist>rica da or(a%direito, ao contr/rio da acusa -o de Fine.K

Robert Fina ainda destaca u( onto rele)ante ao di?er que quando Pashu*anis

transita do 5su6eito 6ur dico7 ara o 5 ro riet/rio de (ercadorias7 ele assa de u(a

or(a 6ur dica desen)ol)ida o su6eito 6ur dico< ara o ele(entar da or(a 6ur dica, ou

se6a, ele transita dentro do ca( o 6ur dico e n-o da or(a 6ur dica ara seu conteAdo

social co(o Fine di? que Pashu*anis acredita a?er.

0( sequHncia Fine cha(a a aten -o ara al3o i( ortante:

...O $hile he Pashu*anisO learnt ro( Marx that exchan3e 3i)es rise to thele3al or(, he did not learn that, de endin3 on the nature o roducti)erelations in $hich it is inserted, exchan3e 3i)es rise to di erent le3al or(s.= osition to the le3al or( in 3eneral should not blind us to the distinctions

bet$een one le3al or( and another. Pashu*anis ex lained the de)elo (ent

o le3al or(s " ro( sub6ecti)e ri3hts to ob6ecti)e la$ to the state " entirel&in ter(s o the extension, dee enin3 and 3enerali?ation o exchan3e relations.

i erent le3al or(s see(ed to Pashu*anis to re resent (erel& the


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quantitati)e extent to $hich exchan3e $as resent in societ&, rather than an&qualitati)e di erence in roducti)e relations. #hus all le3al or(s a eared tohi( to ex ress the sa(e basic relation o exchan3e. While Pashukanissstrength was to see the common origins of right, law and state as thethree fundamental juridic forms, he failed to perceive the distinctionsbetween them !t was as if an economist were to e"uate money and

capital simply because they both derived from value 3ri o (eu, . 1E1 ria or(a do 0stado Ie( u(a es +cie de

deter(inis(o ol tico oulant?ianoK.

Robert Fine ar3u(enta que o excessi)o or(alis(o e abstra -o da aborda3e( de

Pashu*anis acabara( or a ast/%la das discuss es ol ticas reais da 'ni-o o)i+tica da

ri(eira (etade do s+culo que, or u( lado, se centra)a( na de ini -o dos

conteAdos do direito quais direitos teria( os cidad-os da circula -o, (as ta(b+( da rodu -o ca italista

es ecial(ente se considerar(os que a rodu -o de ende da circula -o de u(a

(ercadoria es ec ica e da i( osi -o da or(a%(ercadoria @ ca acidade de trabalho


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al3u(a requHncia ele con unde ou redu? a no -o de or(a ol tica ou or(a 6ur dica @s

institui es li3adas ao 0stado ou @ es era ol tica.K

Robert Fine toca e( al3uns outros ontos considerados co(o roble(/tico na

aborda3e( de Pashu*anis, co(o a con us-o entre or(a%6ur dica e or(a% ol tica,

re resentada ela subordina -o do desa areci(ento do 0stado ao desa areci(ento da

leiB o re or o da se ara -o entre 0stado e sociedade ci)il co(o or(a de aliena -o

social na i3ura da (anuten -o de u( cor o t+cnico e ela re3ula -o t+cnica se3undo

Pashu*anis o socialis(o ossuiria u(a re3ula -o baseada na autoridade t+cnica do

0stado, i3norando a cr tica @ burocracia< I0ssa cr tica (e arece ra?o/)el, e(bora a

distin -o entre lei e nor(a t+cnica nos a6ude a erceber a es eci icidade da ri(eiraK.

ot onl& did Pashu*anis in)ert the relationshi bet$een la$ and bureaucrac&en)isa3ed b& Marx, he lost si3ht o the de(ocratic nature o MarxSs critiqueo the state, accordin3 to $hich its $itherin3 a$a& $as to be the result o itse)en (ore radical de(ocrati?ation. Pashu*anisSs o)er%critical )ie$ o la$,co(bined $ith his uncritical )ie$ o bureaucrac&, or(ed an un ortunate(ixture, es eciall& in the context o a re3i(e $hich increasin3l& identi iedthe bureaucrac& $ith the state and the state $ith the eo le. . 1E9 rio 0stado e esta )iola -o si3ni ica)a n-o a e(anci a -o, (as a crescente o ress-o

da classe trabalhadora.

n the context o this dri t to$ard an authoritarian state it is essential,#ho( son ar3ued, that (odern Marxis( ut its o$n house in order: its

a(bi)alence about ci)il liberties and its tendenc& to dis(iss all la$ as (erel&an instru(ent o or ca(ou la3e or class rule (ust be abandoned. ci)illiberties are (erel& an illusion obscurin3 the harsh realities o class rule, thenthe onl& si3ni icance o their loss is that it clari ies the class stru33le. la$ is(erel& an instru(ent o ca ital, then attac*s on de(ocratic ri3hts initiated b&the state resent no dan3er to the $or*in3 class. all sate are inherentl&

ro oundl& authoritarian and i all inhibitions on their o$er are (as*s or dis3uises or tric*s to ro)ide it $ith ideolo3ical le3iti(ationD, then the (o)e

ro( one or( o state to another $ill a ear to (a*e no essential di erence,and the erosion o inhibitions on state o$er $ill (erel& clari & its re ressi)enature. uch a rhetoric, #ho( son ar3ued, reduces MarxSs de(ocraticcritique o the state to no (ore than a c&nicis(B it has nothin3 in co((on$ith 3enuine Marxis( and is ban*ru t historicall&, theoreticall& and

oliticall&. . 1!


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=n the basis o t$entieth%centur& ex erience, e)en the (ost exalted thin*erDou3ht to be able to note the di erence bet$een a state based on the rule o la$ and one based on the exercise o arbitrar&, extra%le3al authorit&S. theonl& si3ni icant distinction obser)ed is that bet$een di erent (odes o

roductionD " eudal, ca italist and socialist " then the distinctions $hich areequall& i( ortant, bet$een one or( o bour3eois rule and another, are los

or( si3ht. Political libert& under bour3eois rule is not 6ust a de)ice o ca ital but re resents the tan3ible achie)e(ent o stru33les or( belo$, and can besecured onl& throu3h the continued ursuit o such stru33les. . 1!

robert fine - democracy and the rule of law (ch 7)

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