Re: Inflation, credit, and the 'money expression of labour' within a value-form perspective

From: Reuten (g.a.t.m.reuten@UVA.NL)
Date: Mon May 05 2003 - 17:30:40 EDT


"Clyder" wrote:
" If one considers that value is labour, then the value of
money is unproblematic."
Although Marx is no authority for me (instead my most
important dead `discussion' partner), I would think that if
you say "value is labour" then you destroy ALL of his effort
in Parts Three to Five of Capital I to EXPLAIN value BY
labour. If you want to break that down, then that is fine
with me, but then we just seem to be engaged in a different
research project.

"Clyder" also wrote:
"How do you talk about inflation without mentioning that
involves a fall in the value of money?"
Over the last 50 years "inflation" has become a mystical
term. Most mainstream economists take inflation to be
identical to price increase (then better say that). Price
inflation -- in my view -- is a complex of,  inseparatedly,
monetary factors and pricing factors.
Most briefly price inflation is a price increase above
labour productivity increase (and which requires a monetary
accomodation).
Price inflation was hardly at all discussed by Marx. In the
way he smartly posited his value theory in Volume I of
Capital, he could abstract from this.

Comradely,
Geert Reuten

> -----Original Message-----
> From: OPE-L [mailto:OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU]On Behalf Of
> clyder@GN.APC.ORG
> Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2003 20:34
> To: OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU
> Subject: Re: (OPE-L) Inflation, credit, and the 'money
expression of
> labour' within a value-form perspective
>
>
> Quoting OPE-L Administrator
<ope-admin@RICARDO.ECN.WFU.EDU>:
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Reuten" <g.a.t.m.reuten@uva.nl>
> > To: "'OPE-L'" <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU>
> > Sent: Friday, May 02, 2003 5:21 PM
> > Subject: RE: (OPE-L) Inflation, credit, and the 'money
expression of
> > labour' within a value-form perspective
> >
> >
> > In the way Paul C. phrased it, "money that validates
value", you are
> > bound to get into the circel he indicates. I would say
> "money validates
> > production" (or some or none of course). Whatever
theoretical
> > considerations you have, anyway it is the case that for
capital
> > (capitalists,
> > entrepreneurs, firms) in actual practice money is the
> measure of value.
> > (It is that always microeconomically. Theoretically,
when you are
> > engaged in macroeconomic theory other considerations may
> come in. Appart
> > from those I am generally reluctant to use the phrase
> "value of money"
> > as it has a tautologous flavour.)
> >
>
> I can understand why you might be if you take a purely
relational
> take on value. If one considers that value is labour, then
the value
> of money is unproblematic.
"


This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed May 07 2003 - 00:00:00 EDT