[OPE-L:8185] Re: Marx's Notes on Wagner available on MIA

From: Christopher Arthur (cjarthur@waitrose.com)
Date: Mon Dec 16 2002 - 08:16:47 EST


>I just uploaded a bilingual version of Marx's "Notes on
>Adolph Wagner" to the MIA.  I understand that this is his
>last economic manuscript which has some interesting
>methodological remarks.  The URL is
>
>http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1881/01/wagner.htm
>
>The MIA wants me to add a paragraph about the importance of
>this manuscript.  Does anyone have any suggestions what to say?
>
>Hans G. Ehrbar
>
By far the most important thing for us because it goes beyond Wagner's
idiocy and helps us with Marx's final thoughts is when he denies that 'the
common social substance of exchange value is labour'. (MECW p. 533). Marx
is here rather duplicitous because this would not be an unfair reading of
the 1859 critique, nor even of the first edition of Capital. It was quite
late on that Marx realised the fundamental importance of inserting 'value'
betweeen 'exchange-value' and 'labour' and thus fully developing the
concept of form of value. (See Rubin's excellent account)

Chris Arthur

17 Bristol Road, Brighton, BN2 1AP, England


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