ABSTRACT
As far as can be ascertained from extant writings, by the time that Marx resolved in 1857 to begin again in earnest the drafting of his critique of political economy, it had been about a decade since he had worked on his methodological principles. During August and September of that year, he redressed this lacuna by drafting out a methodological piece headed simply ‘Introduction’. The work was left in rough-drafted form and was never completed. Moreover, it was omitted from publication on the grounds that it pre-empted too much of the critique of political economy that was subsequently to be worked out. However, this in no way detracts from its significance in this study for two reasons. Firstly, Marx did not reject the argument of the piece even though he later emphasised some aspects of it more than others. Secondly, it is the only extant draft of Marx’s own methodological position and premises developed as a consequence of his adherence to the principles of historical materialism. Indeed, it is surprising that it was not published, at least in part, for Marx’s stated reasons for not doing so do not apply to some of the most important aspects of the argument that it contains.
