From: Fred B. Moseley (fmoseley@mtholyoke.edu)
Date: Wed Oct 09 2002 - 13:30:49 EDT
Jerry, you seem to be talking about a different "two-stage" method that what I had in mind as a description of Riccardo's interpretation, according to which (1) a hypothetical total surplus-value (proportional to the labor-time embodied in surplus goods) is determined in Volume 1 and (2) then this is transformed into the actual total surplus-value - a different magnitude - in Volume 3. Your "two-stage" method, on the other hand, is: (1) the determination of a hypothetical total surplus-value after production and (2) the determination of the actual total surplus-value after sale. If there is no difficulty in the sale of commodities, then the actual total surplus-value determined after sale is equal to the total surplus-value determined in production, right? In other words, in this case, the total surplus-value determined in production is the actual total surplus-value, and not a hypothetical total surplus-value proportional to the labor-time embodied in surplus goods, as in Riccardo's interpretation. I argue that Marx assumed throughout Volume 1 (and indeed generally throughout the three volumes) that there is no difficulty in the sale of commodities, so that the actual total surplus-value determined after sale is equal to the total surplus-value determined in production. In your list of references in (7755), none are from Volume 1. And in the references from the other two volumes, I only found two passages that mention the possibility of difficulties in the sale of commodities, and these two were very brief passing comments (C.II. 124 and C.III. 352). The other passages mention the different phases of the production of surplus-value in production and the realization of surplus-value in circulation, but they do not mention difficulties in this realization. If there are no difficulties of realization, then the total surplus-value realized is equal to the total surplus-value determined in production. Comradely, Fred On Mon, 7 Oct 2002, gerald_a_levy wrote: > Re Fred's [7765]: > > > Jerry, my statement that "I see no textual evidence at all, in any of > > Marx's manuscripts, that he himself followed such a "two-stage" method" > > referred to how I understood Riccardo's interpretation, according to > > which: > > > > Stage 1 is determination of a hypothetical total surplus-value > > (dM*) proportional to the labor-time embodied in surplus goods. > > > > Stage 2 is the transformation of this hypothetical total surplus-value > > into the actual total surplus-value (dM). > > > > I don't see that any of the passages you have cited suggest this kind of > > "two-stage" determination of the total actual surplus-value. > > Would you please clarify? Thanks. > > Well, what is meant by _your expression_ "two-stage method" is > unclear. Are you suggesting that in the "two-stage method" the > transition between "Stage 1" and "Stage 2" does not concern the > actualization/realization of surplus-value? Of course, Riccardo can > speak for himself but I would suggest that that transition *fundamentally* > concerns the subject of the actualization of surplus-value. Hence when > you asserted that there is "no textual evidence" it seems to me that > this ignores the many passages where Marx discussed that topic. > > The question, as I see it, is whether the magnitude of the given total > surplus value is the amount emerging from production or the amount > following sale. In the later scenario surplus-value is not created in > the sphere of circulation but the magnitude of actual surplus value > can be diminished over the amount that was presumed (the > 'hypothetical' amount) prior to the sale of the commodity product. > This interpretation suggests a *necessary link between the magnitude > of surplus value and delta M* (where M' = M + delta M). Hence, > one could call it a truly macro-monetary perspective. Of course, > Riccardo and others may see the issue differently. > > In solidarity, Jerry > > >
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