Helmut Reichelt
Encyclopedia
Helmut Reichelt is a German
economist
and philosopher of the Frankfurt School
. Reichelt is one of the main authors of the “Neue Marx-Lektüre
” (new Marx reading) and considered to be one of the most important theorists in the field of Marx's
theory of value
.
He studied economics, sociology and philosophy in Frankfurt where Theodor W. Adorno
supervised his diploma in 1968. In 1970 Reichelt obtained his Ph.D at the Institute for Social Research
. In 1971 he became professor of sociology at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. One year later he was also appointed as the dean of the philosophy department in Frankfurt.
On the initiative of Alfred Sohn-Rethel
Reichelt accepted the Professorship for social theory at the department of Sociology at the University of Bremen
in 1978. He remained in Bremen until his retirement in 2005.
Reichelt's research interests are the theory of society with special emphasis on the problems of the theory of economic value. Already during his time as a university student he began a long-term cooperation with Hans-Georg Backhaus
. Together with Backhaus he was one of those members of the Frankfurt School
who considered engaging with economic phenomena and economic theory as fundamental for critical theory
. Together they pursued the critical reconstruction of the Marxian value theory of labour as a monetary value theory. Since 1998 Reichelt and Backhaus contributions have spawned a rich debate on theories of economic value and its relation to critical theory. Reichelt has published widely on Marx, on Adorno's social theory and on economic theory. Reichelt also oversaw an edition of Hegel's Philosophy of Right in the Ullstein Verlag. He is the current chair of the German Marx-Society.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and philosopher of the Frankfurt School
Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School refers to a school of neo-Marxist interdisciplinary social theory, particularly associated with the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt am Main...
. Reichelt is one of the main authors of the “Neue Marx-Lektüre
Neue Marx-Lektüre
Neue Marx-Lektüre in its broader meaning refers to the reception of the economic theory of Karl Marx, which started in the mid-1960s in Western and partly Eastern Europe, in distinction from both Marxism-Leninism and Social Democracy...
” (new Marx reading) and considered to be one of the most important theorists in the field of Marx's
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
theory of value
Theory of value (economics)
"Theory of value" is a generic term which encompasses all the theories within economics that attempt to explain the exchange value or price of goods and services...
.
He studied economics, sociology and philosophy in Frankfurt where Theodor W. Adorno
Theodor W. Adorno
Theodor W. Adorno was a German sociologist, philosopher, and musicologist known for his critical theory of society....
supervised his diploma in 1968. In 1970 Reichelt obtained his Ph.D at the Institute for Social Research
Institute for Social Research
The Institute for Social Research is a research organization for sociology and continental philosophy, best known as the institutional home of the Frankfurt School and critical theory....
. In 1971 he became professor of sociology at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. One year later he was also appointed as the dean of the philosophy department in Frankfurt.
On the initiative of Alfred Sohn-Rethel
Alfred Sohn-Rethel
Alfred Sohn-Rethel was a Marxist economist and philosopher especially interested in epistemology. He also wrote about the relationship of German industry with national socialism.-Life:...
Reichelt accepted the Professorship for social theory at the department of Sociology at the University of Bremen
University of Bremen
The University of Bremen is a university of approximately 23,500 people from 126 countries that are studying, teaching, researching, and working in Bremen, Germany...
in 1978. He remained in Bremen until his retirement in 2005.
Reichelt's research interests are the theory of society with special emphasis on the problems of the theory of economic value. Already during his time as a university student he began a long-term cooperation with Hans-Georg Backhaus
Hans-Georg Backhaus
Hans-Georg Backhaus is a German economist and philosopher. He is considered one of the most important theorists on the field of Marx's theory of value. He began a long-term cooperation with Helmut Reichelt already from his years of university studies.-Main Work:* Backhaus, Hans-Georg: Dialektik...
. Together with Backhaus he was one of those members of the Frankfurt School
Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School refers to a school of neo-Marxist interdisciplinary social theory, particularly associated with the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt am Main...
who considered engaging with economic phenomena and economic theory as fundamental for critical theory
Critical theory
Critical theory is an examination and critique of society and culture, drawing from knowledge across the social sciences and humanities. The term has two different meanings with different origins and histories: one originating in sociology and the other in literary criticism...
. Together they pursued the critical reconstruction of the Marxian value theory of labour as a monetary value theory. Since 1998 Reichelt and Backhaus contributions have spawned a rich debate on theories of economic value and its relation to critical theory. Reichelt has published widely on Marx, on Adorno's social theory and on economic theory. Reichelt also oversaw an edition of Hegel's Philosophy of Right in the Ullstein Verlag. He is the current chair of the German Marx-Society.
Main work
- Reichelt, Helmut: Neue Marx Lektuere - Zur Kritik sozialwissenschaftlicher Logik. Hamburg 2008.
- Reichelt, Helmut: Zur logischen Struktur des Kapitalbegriffs bei Karl Marx. Freiburg 2001. (ISBN 3-924627-76-2)
Further publications
- Der Zusammenhang von Werttheorie und ökonomischen Kategorien bei Marx, 1999 - online
- Die Marxsche Kritik ökonomischer Kategorien. Überlegungen zum Problem der Geltung in der dialektischen Darstellungsmethode im „Kapital“, 2001 - PDF
- Einige Fragen und Anmerkungen zu Nadjas „Kritik als Substanz des Denkens bei Kant und Marx.“, 2005 - PDF
- Marx's Critique of Economic Categories: Reflections on the Problem of Validity in the Dialectical Method of Presentation in Capital, in: Historical Materialism, Volume 15, Number 4, 2007, pp. 3–52(50) - abstract
Complete bibliography
Further reading
- Kirchhoff, Christine / Pahl, Hanno / Engemann, Christoph / Heckel, Judith / Meyer, Lars (eds.): Gesellschaft als Verkehrung. Perspektiven einer neuen Marx-Lektüre. Festschrift für Helmut Reichelt, Freiburg 2004, ISBN 3-924627-26-6.
- Kubota, Ken: Die dialektische Darstellung des allgemeinen Begriffs des Kapitals im Lichte der Philosophie HegelsGeorg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelGeorg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher, one of the creators of German Idealism. His historicist and idealist account of reality as a whole revolutionized European philosophy and was an important precursor to Continental philosophy and Marxism.Hegel developed a comprehensive...
. Zur logischen Analyse der politischen Ökonomie unter besonderer Berücksichtigung AdornosTheodor W. AdornoTheodor W. Adorno was a German sociologist, philosopher, and musicologist known for his critical theory of society....
und der Forschungsergebnisse von RubinIsaak Illich RubinIsaak Illich Rubin was a Russian economist and is considered to be the most important theorist of his time on the field of Marx's theory of value. His main work Essays on Marx's Theory of Value was published in 1924. During the course of the Great Purge he was executed in 1937.-Main Works:* Rubin,...
, BackhausHans-Georg BackhausHans-Georg Backhaus is a German economist and philosopher. He is considered one of the most important theorists on the field of Marx's theory of value. He began a long-term cooperation with Helmut Reichelt already from his years of university studies.-Main Work:* Backhaus, Hans-Georg: Dialektik...
, Reichelt, UnoKozo Unowas a Japanese economist and is considered to be one of the most important theorists on the field of Marx's theory of value. His main work Principles of Political Economy was published in 1964. Among his scholars are Thomas T. Sekine and Makoto Itoh.-Thought:...
und SekineThomas T. SekineThomas T. Sekine is a Japanese economist and is considered to be one of the most important theorists on the field of Marx's theory of value. His main work The Dialectic of Capital was published in 1986. He is a scholar of Kozo Uno.-Main Work:...
, in: Beiträge zur Marx-Engels-Forschung. Neue Folge 2009, pp. 199–224. - Meyer, Lars: Absoluter Wert und allgemeiner Wille. Zur Selbstbegründung dialektischer Gesellschaftstheorie, Bielefeld 2005, ISBN 978-3-89942-224-5.
- Pahl, Hanno, Lars Meyer: Kognitiver Kapitalismus: Soziologische Beiträge zur Theorie der Wissensökonomie, Marburg 2007, ISBN 978-3895186196
- Pahl, Hanno: Das Geld in der modernen Wirtschaft. Marx und Luhmann im Vergleich, Frankfurt 2008, ISBN 359-338-6070
External links
- List of Publications (German, PDF), 2008
- Verified, continuously updated selected bibliography with links and materials.