(OPE-L seminar] Paul Cockshott's "Hibert Space Models Commodity Exchanges"

From: Gerald A. Levy (Gerald_A_Levy@MSN.COM)
Date: Mon Sep 20 2004 - 09:13:00 EDT


Hi Paul C.

I expect to be busy later today so I'm going to just jump in and 
ask a couple of questions about your paper while I have a few 
minutes:

1) You suggest that it is possible to posit an "underlying
linear vector space of which commodity space is a
representation" (p. 3)  and "*unlike commodity space itself*,
this space, is a true vector whose evolution can be modeled
by the application of linear operators" (Ibid, emphasis added,
JL).  This is repeated in the last sentence of the paper where
you write that commodity amplitude space "*unlike 
commodity space*, is a linear vector space within which 
angles of rotation have a clear meaning" (p. 6, emphasis again
added, JL).   I am confused by this.  

a) If commodity "space" is *not*  a linear space, *why* is it 
reasonable to suggest that the "underlying" representation 
can be linear?  

b) If "commodity space" is non-linear shouldn't methods 
of measurement which take into account this non-linearity be 
utilized?

c) are there any tests that you can use which use non-linear
methods which can be applied to the data to confirm or not 
confirm the empirical propositions about the closeness of 
market prices to vertically integrated labour values?


2) For those who wish to do further research in this area, what
do you identify as the major directions requiring further 
research?

In solidarity, Jerry



http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/ope/seminar/id18.htm


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