[OPE-L] workers' consumption and capitalists' consumption

From: Hans G. Ehrbar (ehrbar@LISTS.ECON.UTAH.EDU)
Date: Sat Jun 03 2006 - 13:52:54 EDT 

Philip asked:

> So the value of workers' consumption does not transfer to
> the commodity produced by the capitalist?

Of course not.  Marx considers the creation and transfer of
value to be real processes happening right there in the
production process, not something which the theoretician
allocates afterwards to selected activities.  If the worker
sits down for dinner, this activity clearly does not add
value to the product which is at this moment far away from
him or her in the factory.

Jerry has been emphasizing that the consumption of
labor-power creates new value, and that the worker's
consumption can be considered productive consumption for the
capitalist, but these are different issues.  The value of
the variable capital is not transferred to the end product.

Hans G. Ehrbar

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