Marxian Totality

Kaveh Boveiri, Ph.D. (2019), Université de Montréal, is a lecturer in sociology at the department of Sociology of the Université de Montréal and at the department of management of HEC-Montréal. He has edited three books and published and translated many articles in English, French, German and Farsi.

• AcknowledgementsPrologue1 Two Misconceptions of Totality1 The Atomist-Rationalist Conception of Totality2 The Organicist and Organicist-Dynamic Conception of Totality3 Conclusion2 On Hegel’s Totality1 Totality in the Doctrine of Being2 Totality in the Doctrine of Essence3 Totality in the Doctrine of Notion4 Conclusion3 On Lukács’s Totality1 Conclusion4 On Kosík’s Totality1 Totality: Concrete and Pseudo-concrete2 Totality and Objectivity3 Objekt-Gegenstand: Marx’s Distinction4 Objectivity in Kosík: Conceptual-Lexical Discussion and Its Implications5 Praxis, Labour, Care, and Totality6 History and Totality7 Factor Theory, System, Structure, and Totality8 Criticism of Kosík9 Conclusion5 Marxian Totality Seen through His WorksA Note on the Difficulty and the Strategy Adopted1 Prelude – The Poem and the Letter to His Father: Marx, a Diver in Search of the Sache selbst in Life in the Street2 Marx in the Laboratory: Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 18443 Prototype-Genesis: Totality in the German Ideology and the ‘Theses on Feuerbach’4 Totality in Oscillation: The Grundrisse5 Totality in Categorial Movement: Capital6 Conclusion6 The Relationship between the Grundrisse and Capital and between the Method of Enquiry and the Method of Exposition1 The Roots of the Thesis of a Rupture in Marx’s Works2 The Idea of a Rupture between the Grundrisse and Capital3 The Alternative Reading4 ConclusionEpilogueAppendix1: Rereading of a Passage from the French Edition of First Volume of Capital Edited by MarxAppendix2: Some Passages of CapitalIII, in Original and in Translation, for Further VerificationAppendix3: Note on TranslationBibliographyIndex

"In Marxian Totality: Inverting Hegel to Expound Worldly Matters, Kaveh Boveiri presents a groundbreaking monograph that analyses the Marxian concept of totality from both philosophical and sociopolitical perspectives. As the first book-length study dedicated exclusively to this subject, Boveiri’s work offers a thorough examination of the distinctive features of Marxian totality, with a particular focus on its methodological underpinnings. [...] By bridging the gap between abstract theory and concrete reality, Boveiri reaffirms the enduring relevance of Marx’s thought. He offers a compelling argument for the adoption of a Marxian dialectical totality as a means of comprehending and transforming the social world. Through his rigorous examination of both historical and contemporary perspectives, he provides valuable insights into the nature of totality, dialectics, and social change. This book shows the power of critical thought and its capacity to inform and inspire meaningful action in the pursuit of a more just and equitable society." — Simon Gros, in: Marxian Totality: Inverting Hegel to Expound Worldly Matters, November 2024"Kaveh Boveiri’s Marxian Totality can be conceived as expanding and – to some extent – improving Karel Kosík’s account of the notion of totality in the Dialectic of the Concrete (1963). [...] [The book] presents an interesting contribution to the topic of Marxian totality and a worthwhile discussion of Kosík’s thought. A strong point of the book is also to engage the discussion not only with the English and German literature on the subject, but with the French as well, providing a well-rounded account of the topic." — Emmanuel Chaput, Professeur de philosophie, Cégep Édouard-Montpetit, in: Marx and Philosophy Review of Books, December 2024