From: Michael Eldred (artefact@T-ONLINE.DE)
Date: Thu Feb 16 2006 - 16:57:15 EST
Cologne 16-Feb-2006 As part of the tenth anniversary of the artefact web site 1996-2006, here's a new article that draws some long-pondered threads together: ‘Exchange, Value, Justice -- Aristotle, Adam Smith, Karl Marx'’ http://www.webcom.com/artefact/untpltcl/exchvljs.html Abstract: What is to be learned by reconsidering exchange relations, money, value and justice at three major stations in the history of political philosophy: Aristotle, Adam Smith, Karl Marx? First of all, that money is not merely a self-evident thing whose being does not pose subtle philosophical problems that demand well-thought ontological concepts of human association through exchange. Second, that the value of useful things which are used in the usages of everyday life comes about through a process of reciprocal social recognition in exchange and cannot be attributed to any intrinsic (causal) measure such as the labour-time embodied in those useful things. Third, given that such a thing as ‘value creation’ cannot be attributed to spent labour power measure by time, there is no injustice per se involved in workers hiring their labour power to an employer who directs the exercise of their labour power. Fourth, on the score that hired labour-power is directed by an other, namely the employer, and therefore ‘alienated’ in a literal sense, there also is no inherent injustice. Fifth, and finally, that association through the interplay of money-mediated exchange goes essentially hand in hand with the socio-ontological possibility of existence of the free individual who is the hallmark of Western liberal society. You'll find the full artefact inventory under: http://www.webcom.com/artefact/artfinvn.html Good thinking! Michael _-_-_-_-_-_-_- artefact text and translation _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- made by art _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ http://www.webcom.com/artefact/ _-_-_-_- artefact@t-online.de _-_ _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Dr Michael Eldred -_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
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