THE COMMODITY-FORM AND THE DIALECTICAL METHOD
on the structure of Marx’s exposition in chapter 1 of Capital
Abstract
A methodologically-minded critical reading of Marx's argument about the determinations of the value-form of the product of labor in the first chapter of Capital contributes to the growing literature on the dialectical structure of Marx’s critique of political economy by bringing out often-overlooked aspects of his argument. First, there is a crucial distinction between the respective roles of the stages of analysis and synthesis in the dialectical inquiry and the way in which these are reflected in the dialectical presentation. Second, the specific form of the analytical process in the dialectical method is thematized. The paper then draws the implications of all these methodological aspects for an adequate comprehension of the structure of Marx’s discussion of abstract labor as the substance of value in the initial pages of Capital.
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