From: Philip Dunn (hyl0morph@YAHOO.CO.UK)
Date: Fri Jun 02 2006 - 20:14:47 EDT
Hi Jerry So the value of workers' and capitalists' consumption does not transfer to the commodity produced? On Fri, 2006-06-02 at 08:38 -0400, glevy@PRATT.EDU wrote: > > I would take the view that consumption by capitalists > > or workers is destructive of value. The value of what > > they consume does not get back into the process of > > value production. > > Hi Phil, > > (I'll answer without reference to Sraffa.) > > The consumption of the value of commodities by > workers does go back into the process of value production > because it forms a necessary moment in the reproduction > of labour-power and, hence, value reproduction. You > see it as "destructive of value" but this is, imo, one-sided: > it is true that consumption is destructive of value to the > extent that the value and use-value of commodities are > exhausted/destroyed, but that same consumption > _reproduces_ value to the extend that it allows for the > reproduction of the commodity labour-power and hence > forms a pre-condition for continued value production. > > This contrasts, in a sense, to capitalist consumption. On > the one hand, the individual consumption of surplus-value > by capitalists diminishes the rate of the productive consumption > of surplus-value and hence the accumulation of capital. But, on > the other hand, capitalist consumption is required for the > reproduction of the capitalist _class_ and in that sense forms > a necessary requirement for _capitalist_ production. > > In solidarity, Jerry ___________________________________________________________ The all-new Yahoo! Mail goes wherever you go - free your email address from your Internet provider. http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html
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