Mystery of the Form Itself: the Return of the Value Problem

Abstract

The theory of value is one of the fundamental topics of political economy; it lays the very foundation for its functioning. The theory of value radically affects both the research program and the political views of economists and social theorists. Today, the question of value is considered to be settled, at least within the economic mainstream. Sometimes it is considered simply irrelevant or outside the field of study of "real" science. But the very desire to leave this question unresolved (to abandon the consideration of the theory of value in general) or to find a temporary solution for it (to deal with the issues of price instead of the issue of value) represents evidence that we are dealing with an epistemological obstacle, the very complexity of which reflects some of the contradictions of capitalism. The issue of value is not only a matter of economics; it should be viewed through an interdisciplinary perspective. But, first of all, it is a socio-philosophical question in the broadest sense of the word. Returning to the question of value will allow us to take a fresh look at the "mystery of the form in itself", the commodity form, which was the central object of consideration of the political economy of Marx. This article proposes to re-raise the question of value as a socio-philosophical basis for a criticism of modern capitalism.