Reexamination On Marx’s Value-Form Theory In The Western Academic Field ——Based On The Reflection Of The New Reading Of Marx And Its Extension

This paper discusses two ways of interpreting Marx’s value form theory from the perspective of western academic circles: one is represented by the early New Reading of Marx,whose interpretation idea lies in the logical construction of value form,but it is finally limited to the closed form system because it is subject to the abstract premise and subject;The other is the interpretation scheme born in the New Reading of Marx,as a continuation of its thought,it shares the concept that the value form has constructive power over the content,but advocates that from the perspective of subjective practice,the logical analysis of the value form should be further promoted to the realistic dimensions of history and politics,and the criticism should be directed at the content covered by the form,Thus,it has formed many impacts and challenges on the closed value form system,and formed an open interpretation of the value form.Why should labor content be expressed in the form of value? The problem of value form put forward by Marx is the main line running through the full text.As the New Reading of Marx starts the study of value form,the problem of value form has the significance of separating Marx’s critique of political economy from all previous political economy,and is mainly reflected in the dialectics of value form.On the premise of the principle of exchange,they demonstrated the logical inevitability of the value form from the value concept through the dialectical movement of the ‘duality’ of the value form,focused on the subjective and objective structure shown by the value form,believed that the form had the power to construct the content,and explained the mechanism of fetishism.Under this interpretation scheme,the form of value becomes a closed system without any possibility of liberation.Dissatisfied with the closed interpretation of the value form,Bonefeld pushed the value form analysis from the pure logic level to the reality level,borrowed the negative dialectics to restore the real subject that disappeared in the value form,then rooted the value form in the practice of human society,and clarified that the premise of the value form is primitive accumulation and class opposition.Standing in the dimension of subject,it is possible to break through the closed value form world.In this regard,Holloway put forward a political interpretation of the form of value.He explored the space of non-identity in the relationship between wealth itself and commodity form,and then advocated using this space to transform specific labor,resist abstract labor,carry out negative subject revolution,and look for liberation export in the cracks of the value form system.Combining the two interpretation methods of reflection,when the interpretation of value forms tends to be more strictly closed,the open new ideas provide a good promotion and supplement.The promotion manifests,from the closed interpretation centered on form to the open interpretation centered on subject,with the progress from "formal criticism" to "content criticism",and opening up the political dimension from the economic category.The supplement manifests as,two different interpretation methods show the tension between subject and object in the value form system.The combined investigation of them makes the value form a double-edged sword penetrating the capitalist society.Last,putting the two interpretation methods back into Capital,we can find that in Marx’s value form theory,there are dual paths of constructing the operation mechanism of capitalism and seeking liberation beyond capitalism.To a great extent,these two interpretation methods correspond to these two paths respectively.Taking their discussion and criticism as materials,they help to support the view that there are dual paths in value form theory.On this basis,this paper further believes that we should grasp the liberation contained in the construction,that is,to understand Marx’s value form for the purpose of liberation.This will help us to grasp the fundamental theoretical task that Marx tries to achieve implied by the front and back titles of capital: Capital: Critique of Political Economy,that is,to change the world.At the same time,it will also inspire us to think about how to further release the potential of Marx’s critique of political economy.