Fred writes: "I do not understand the distinction between "conceptual determination" and "real determination". I thought conceptual determination (i.e. a theory) was supposed to explain the real determination (in reality). If the "real determination" was that values determine the physical production quantities, then the "conceptual determination" would explain how this happens, and how the specific quantities are determined. " Perhaps an intuitive illustration will help. There are some theorists of banquetting. They weigh guests arriving and the amount of food going in. Then they weigh guests leaving. They "determine" - i.e. conceptually calculate - the increases in weight and simultaneously the total amount of food eaten. There will probably be a discrepency due to some food being wasted. So our theorists say 'all this means is that we did not need the original amount anyway, that was a 'detour', all we need is the rates of weight increase'. Is this a theory of the 'real determination' of weight increase? By no means. That would involve going into the party, studying how fast various people eat, how some elbow others away from the buffet, exactly how some food gets wasted etc. The detail of this 'real determinaton' might be difficult to quantify but it is explanatory: the first calculation explains nothing. Chris Arthur 17 Bristol Road, Brighton, BN2 1AP, England
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