La natura giuridica della cosa secondo il giovane Marx. Casualità, necessità e libertà negli articoli del 1842-1843

The concept of the nature of things is at the heart of the young Marx’s philosophy of law. In
his articles of 1842-1843, the expression juristische Natur der Sache alludes to an
ontological and rational structure of law from which the legislator cannot deviate. The law will
concretely be a universal and rational form when it reflects the nature of the thing, its
essence, that is, man’s freedom in each of its particular spheres. But for this to happen it is
not enough to observe the development of the thing. Its inner essence must be realised in
social life through the co-operation of men. And it is always the things nature that points this
way. The concept under consideration can therefore be considered a central theme in the
study of Marx’s early thought.