Capital as Organic Unity: The Role of Hegel's Science of Logic in Marx's Grundrisse

This is a work of historical critical exegesis. It aims to establish the influence of the Science of Logic (SL) of G.W.F. Hegel on the Grundrisse of Karl Marx.

Submitted by onto on September 13, 2009

It is the first work in the history of Marx Studies to demonstrate that the Hegelian logic guided Marx's doctrinal development, and that the ordering of the logical categories in the SL is reflected in the ordering of economic categories in the Grundrisse. The Grundrisse are both a critique of political economy, and a critical appropriation of Hegel's SL. Thus, the work establishes that Marx was cognizant of, and respected, the necessity of the development of Hegel's exposition of logical categories of scientific method. The Grundrisse can therefore be divided into three sections. Each is distinguished from the others based upon the peculiar logic that is used in the exposition of the particular subject matter that is treated in that section. This work uses a particular form of historical critical exegesis that relies on "concept exegesis" (Begriffsexegese). It attempts to establish that the ideas that are found in one text are related to ideas in another; and, to be more specific, that the logical form of one work is indebted to the logical form of another. The method that is used in concept exegesis is empirical. The text under scrutiny is first broken down into component parts, and further subdivided. The logical form of the argumentation in each part is isolated. It is then compared to the logical form of another text, for purposes of establishing an indebtedness.

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