From: ajit sinha (sinha_a99@YAHOO.COM)
Date: Tue Mar 06 2007 - 11:24:48 EST
I have no problem with your description of the capitalist mode of production. For greater clarity for later use you could add that there is social division of labor; that is, various sectors need to exchange from one another in order to reproduce and that there is no joint production in the system (otherwise, presence of joint production could pose problems in defining values--so we could start off with this simplifying assumption as well). Your turn! Cheers, ajit sinha --- Jerry Levy <Gerald_A_Levy@MSN.COM> wrote: > Hi Ajit: > > Yes, I mean an abstract theoretical model of > capitalism. > > Capitalism is understood here as a *mode of > production* > in which there is: > > * private ownership and control of the means of > production by > capitalists where > * capitalists hire wage-workers > * in order to produce *commodities* > * for the purpose of making a *profit*. > > In this abstract model of 'pure' capitalism, there > are *only 2 > classes*: capitalists, who have a monopoly of > ownership and > control of means of production, and wage-workers who > neither own nor control any means of production. > > Let's use the following *initial definition* of > commodity (to > be developed at greater length as we proceed): > > * any good or service which is produced with the > intention > of selling it in order to make a profit. > > (The above comes, almost word-for-word from a text > but as > per our agreement I won't tell you by whom. At this > point -- > having already established agreement on the subject > matter -- > I'm only specifying some basic *institutional > characteristics* of > the subject.) > > We will define profit later. > > In addition, assume the following: > > * there is no state, and; > > * a closed model. > > The above, along with the assumption of only 2 > classes, are > *simplifying assumptions* which can be relaxed at a > later level. > > (There will be some other simplifying assumptions > which will be > presented as we continue.) > > In solidarity, Jerry > > > > _____________________________ > > Is it an abstract theoretical capitalism or some > given > > empirical capitalism? I suppose you mean the > former. > > So go on define it. > ____________________________________________________________________________________ TV dinner still cooling? Check out "Tonight's Picks" on Yahoo! TV. http://tv.yahoo.com/
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