Labour as teleological positing in Lukács’ Ontology οf Social Being and Hegel's philosophical background: A critical reappraisal

Abstract

The article examines the interconnection between Lukács' analysis of labour as teleological positing in his late social ontology and his interpretation of Hegel's philosophy. It argues that Lukács' reading of Hegel's Logic, particularly his emphasis on the doctrine of essence, prioritizes the goal and cognitive aspects of subjectivity in his analysis of labour. By reconstructing the core aspects of Lukács' analysis of labour, the article highlights how this ontological priority of teleological positing stems from the modality of categorial relations in the doctrine of essence to which Lukács is committed. In doing so, it draws attention to both methodological inconsistencies in his analysis of labour and its crucial insights, while stressing the absence of a more speculative−dialectical presentation that could frame labour in more dynamic terms. The article thus underscores the great importance of the late Lukács' unfinished social ontology for debates on the dialectical method and critical theory.