An Aristotelian View of Marxs Method

A number of Marxist scholars have tied aspects of Marxs thought to certain Aristotelian categories, yet remarkably little is said of Marxs dialectical materialism in this literature. Here we attempt to lay a foundation for such an effort, paying particular attention to the way in which Aristotles mediated starting point resonates in Marxs method. While Hegel is able to grasp mans self-creation as a process, his dialectical method proceeds from an unmediated starting point, and impresses Idealism upon the Aristotelian categories. In rejecting the Idealist dimensions of Hegels dialectic, Marx implicitly reclaims the materialist dimensions of Aristotles system. It will be argued here that such an interpretation sheds important light on the nature of Marxs departure from Hegel, and on his method in Capital.