[OPE-L:510] "Economics" and the "Philosophy of Right" [digression]

glevy@acnet.pratt.edu (glevy@acnet.pratt.edu)
Sat, 18 Nov 1995 16:50:03 -0800

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On page 468 of Felton C. Shortall's _The Incomplete Marx_ (Aldershot,
Avebury, 1994) there is the following note:
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Hegel's Philosophy of Right Marx's Original Plan of Work

III Ethical Life

A) The Family
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Book on Capital
B) Civil Society{ Book on Landed Property
Book on Wage-Labour
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C) The State The State

International Law International Trade

World History The World Market and Crisis
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As can be seen, the similarity between Hegel's Section on 'Ethical life'
and Marx's original plan of work becomes particularly pronounced with the
last three of his proposed six books.
(All of the above is from Shortall)
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I find the above comparison to be highly interesting. It is inconceivable
that Marx was unaware of the comparison to Hegel's _Philosophy of Right_.

How are we to interpret the above? Was it, for instance, an indication of
Marx's "systematic dialectical method" and/or was _Economics_ intended to
be, in part, a kind of ultimate critique and answer to *Hegel*?

While we discussed the "6-book-plan" at an earlier stage, many new
members have joined since that time and might want to add their "2 cents"
on this question (that is why I have labeled it a "digression").

Would anyone care to take a bite?

In OPE-L Solidarity,

Jerry