From Argumentative Structure to Social Mechanisms: Reading Capital by Karl Marx
From Argumentative Structure to Social Mechanisms: Reading Capital by Karl Marx
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1243/e4rmnf82Keywords:
capital, argumentative structure, methodology, sociologyAbstract
This article proposes a way of reading Capital by Karl Marx as an analytical work on the social structure of capitalism. By reconstructing the argumentative sequence from commodities to surplus value, the study clarifies how Marx employs exclusion, abstraction, and the organisation of theoretical problems to construct the coherence of his theory. The findings show that categories such as value, abstract labor, and surplus value function not merely as economic concepts but as social forms that structure relations of dependence and social reproduction. Based on a systematic literature review and a critical comparison with canonical interpretations, the article identifies a key gap: the argumentative structure of Capital has rarely been examined as a mechanism that actively constructs its social objects. On this basis, the study proposes approaching Capital as a sociological intellectual practice, thereby contributing to the expansion of dialogue between Marxist political economy and contemporary sociology.
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