Re: [OPE-L] Enrique D. Dussel's writings online

From: Philip Dunn (pscumnud@DIRCON.CO.UK)
Date: Mon Apr 11 2005 - 23:56:59 EDT


Hi Ian

Sorry, I afraid I was a bit sloppy mathematically.

The unit labour-content of all corm produced is defined as [dN/dX] evaluated at
the margin of cultivation.

X' is the magnitude of the variable X at the margin. 

The total value of all the corn produced, X', is then X' [dN/dX].

For Ricardo, the labour theory of value only applies at the margin.  On
infra-marginal land more embodied labour value is added than labour time is
expended.

If the landlord is selling labour-power in the material disguise of access to
infra-marginal land, then the LTV applies to infra-marginal land as well. 

Phil

Quoting Ian Wright <iwright@GMAIL.COM>:

> > So the unit labour-content of corn is determined at the margin of
> cultivation.
> > and is equal to dN/dX, the marginal rate at which labour is required to
> produce
> > extra corn.
> 
> It was the expression
> 
> X' dN/dX
> 
> that I didn't understand (which defined labour-content of X' at the
> margin). dN/dX is a gradient, and represents the instantaneous change
> in N wrt X. But X' is a substantive amount of corn. How can it make
> economic sense  to multiply X' by a gradient?
> 
> If we want the labour-content of X' then don't we need to take the
> line integral of the production function from X=a to X=a+X', where a
> is the current number of labour-hours devoted to corn production and
> X' is the extra corn required?
> 
> -Ian.
> 


Philip Dunn


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