re 4878 > >What's at issue here is Fred's claim that, according to his >interpretation, "prices of production change if AND ONLY IF there >is a change in the productivity of labor >somewhere in the economy." To investigate the truth-value of that >claim, I postulated "a change in the productivity of labor >somewhere in the economy" and asked him to show that his >(simultaneously determined) "prices of production change." (He >will not be able to do so.) Do you see some other way the >truth-value of his claim can possibly be ascertained? I don't. Andrew, I know we had a blow up fight about this once. Let me assure that I speak with no rancor. Fred won't allow for simultaneous determined prices as a result of the macro element of his interpretation. That is, he takes the prices of the inputs as given and then only after calculating the mass of sv and the average rate of profit does he arrive at prices of production which then serve as long term or center of gravity of prices (though I agree with you that this idea should have no place in Marx's inherently dynamic theory). Now Fred clearly says and argues that this makes his interpretation incompatible with the Sraffian one--why is he wrong? I don't follow your argument. In fact I don't think you made one. Second, Fred can't begin with a physical system (and that's obviously because of the monetary element of his interpretation with which I am in agreement) and then solve for identical output and unit prices of production. So how could you have asked him to solve the equations from the physical system which you gave him? Alejandro and Fred reach an agreement on the criticism of dualism; then you ask him to solve a problem set up in the dualistic framework. It makes no sense to me.. > >I'll just point out again that it is not I, but Fred, who has >claimed that he "maps" technology onto prices of production (or >vice-versa). I'm just investigating the truth-value of that >claim. Andrew, Fred makes no such claim as I understand him. Can we have chapter and verse please? Yours, Rakesh
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