Marx in unfolding the category of capital, then, relates the historical dynamic of capitalist society as well as the industrial form of production to the structure of abstract domination constituted by labor when it is both a productive activity and a socially mediating activity. I shall now specify this relation by examining more closely how, according to Marx's critique, the fundamental social forms of capitalism shape the character of both this historical dynamic and this form of production. Rather than proceeding by directly investigating Marx's analysis of the sphere of production, however, I shall discuss the most salient structural features of that sphere by first taking a “step backward,” as it were, and considering further the implications of the initial categories of Marx's analysis. This will clarify certain important characteristics of the capital form which might not be apparent were I to examine the sphere of production more directly. In particular, this will allow me to elaborate the central importance of the temporal dimension of value to Marx's analysis. Such an approach will elucidate the specificity of the dynamic of capital and lay the groundwork for articulating Marx's understanding of the social constitution of the process of production. Once I have analyzed the determinate character of the dynamic of capitalism on this fundamental level, I shall return, in Chapter Nine, to examining central aspects of Marx's treatment of the sphere of production in light of this analysis.