Re-reading both Hegel and Marx: The “new dialectics” and the method of Capital

Abstract

ABSTRACT The “new dialectic” offers a new interpretation of Marx’s method. Its most salient feature is the emphasis on certain aspects of Hegelian logic for the interpretation of Marx’s writings, especially The Capital. This article systematically presents the “new dialectic” argument and the main problems with this approach. The latter derive from the assumption that the richness of the concrete is contained in the commodity and can be revealed only through dialectics. This view is deficient because it neglects the influence of historically contingent elements on concrete reality, and its role in Marx’s analysis.

Keywords

• History of economic thought
• Marx
• Hegel
• dialectics
• economic methodology