(OPE-L) value, money, and the exchange of equivalents

From: glevy@PRATT.EDU
Date: Sat Nov 29 2003 - 09:52:33 EST


Phil wrote:

> Marx's analysis of the value form is not cast at the aggregate level.

What 'level' is the value form analysis cast at?

The assumption that price equals value holds only at
the aggregate level.  It certainly does not hold for each
and every commodity.  Paul C is correct in noting that a
large part of Volume III deals with explaining _systematic_
differences between value and price but I wouldn't
necessarily concede that the differences in the price of
the same bottles of Coca-Cola at different nearby locations
during the same time period can be viewed as "random"
disturbances.  In any event, though, _that_ is a subject
whose explanation is not found in Volume III but rather concerns,
I think, pricing strategies in oligopolistic markets where
there is product differentiation and brand loyalty, etc.

I still don't quite comprehend your resistance to reading
Volume III.  Socialists were eagerly looking forward to
reading Volume III when it was published by Engels.  It
was viewed by them as a major part of "the story" that
hadn't been published until that time.  When you read other
trilogies, do you stop after the 2nd volume if you enjoyed
and/or learned a lot from the first 2 volumes in that
series?

In solidarity, Jerry


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