Use-Value in Critiques and the Value of the Critique

Abstract

In my study, I will examine the question of how Überhaupt relates to Western Marxism’s critique on Marx, in particular the volume Reading Capital by Louis Althusser and his disciples. In this paper I will analyse the critiques of the Marxian notion of use-value, which is a central theme in both works. One of the main questions in both volumes is whether we can speak of a prior scientific concept in the case of Marxist discourse, independent of the exposition of Capital.  If not, how can we define the specificity of Marx’s method of exposition, and should we even speak of a Marxian methodology in this context? The main aim of the study is to unpack and systematically compare the different responses.