The Structure of Marx’s Argument in Capital

The anniversary of the publication of volume III of Marx’s Capital is a good occasion to reflect on the construction of the work as a whole, and in particular on the rationale underlying the distinctions Marx drew between the analysis in its first and third volumes. This is particularly worthwhile in light of contemporary contributions that develop certain ideas suggested by Marx but in isolation from the larger framework of his work as a whole. In my view, doing so can be of considerable value. But, at the same time something important gets lost. It is this something important that I propose to discuss here.