Method and value in Marx

Authors

Agemir Bavaresco Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7967-4109
Lutiero Cardoso Esswein Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0045-7664

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18012/arf.v12iEspecial.73296

Keywords:

Dialectical method, Abstract and concrete labor, Theory of value, Social validation, Average rate of profit

Abstract

The article Method and Value in Marx investigates the relationship between Marxian dialectical methodology and the theory of value, based on Grundrisse and Books I and III of Capital. The central problem addressed is how the transition from the abstract to the concrete in Marx's exposition impacts the understanding of the theory of value and abstract labor, with a focus on the processes of validation and distribution of social labor, which are explained through these concepts. The theoretical framework is based on Marx, Rubin, Heinrich, and Iber, highlighting the influence of Hegelian dialectics. The article is structured into three main axes: (1) Marxian methodology in the Grundrisse, emphasizing the reconstruction of the concrete in thought; (2) the relationship between abstract labor, value, and social validation at the most abstract level of Capital; and (3) the deepening of these categories in Book III, where new mediations, such as the average rate of profit, make the theory of value more complex. The results show that the theory of value is not abandoned in Book III but expanded by new determinations, demonstrating the coherence of the Marxian method. The analysis reinforces that value and abstract labor remain fundamental structures of the critique of political economy, even in light of the internal contradictions of the law of value.

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Author Biographies

Agemir Bavaresco, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul

PhD in Philosophy from the University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne, 1997). Bachelor's degree in Law from the Catholic University of Pelotas (2007). Graduated in Theology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (2010). Currently, he is a professor in the Graduate Program in Philosophy at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS).

Lutiero Cardoso Esswein , Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul

Pós-doutorando em Filosofia pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). Possui doutorado, mestrado e bacharelado em Filosofia pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).

References

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Published

2025-04-30

How to Cite

Bavaresco, A., & Esswein , L. C. . (2025). Method and value in Marx. Aufklärung, 12(Especial), p.59–76. https://doi.org/10.18012/arf.v12iEspecial.73296

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Issue

Vol. 12 No. Especial (2025): Leituras d'O Capital de Marx

Section

Articles

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