From: Riccardo Bellofiore (riccardo.bellofiore@UNIBG.IT)
Date: Wed Jun 20 2007 - 12:07:33 EDT
I completely agree. Yes, I am from Sicily. riccardo -------- At 7:57 -0700 20-06-2007, Rakesh Bhandari wrote: >Hi Riccardo, >I can't remember to whom and when Marx wrote >his advice about the chapter order "ladies" >should read Capital I. Perhaps he suggested >beginning with the chapter on the working day? >Interested in your reading of chapter 7. After >all, here (living) labor is described as the >living ferment combined with lifeless means of >production. In the Grundrisse (living) labor is >described as the form giving fire. And though I >don't think it's been pointed out before Marx's >language in the Grundrisse seems derived from >Empedocles, that rich doctor from present day >Sicily, your birthplace, no? >Empedocles after all singled out fire of the >four elements because it seemed more of an >action and it can be used to change the three >states of matter of or combinations of them into >the things we see, or to change one state into >another--ice to water, water to steam. Without >fire, he reasoned, the world of things must rely >on accidental collisions and linkages to change. >For Marx labor is the form giving fire. >Rakesh > > > >>Hi Rakesh, I see this only now, somehow it went >>"back" in the list of the messages. Thanks for >>both suggestions, and especially for the >>Korsch's paper. He has been one of my first >>"love" in Marxian theory, especially the Korsch >>of the book "Karl Marx". >> >>rb >> >>At 20:47 -0700 19-06-2007, Rakesh Bhandari wrote: >>>>A request for help. >>>> >>>>I think someone on this list (Rakesh, perhaps?) made a comment once about >>>>Althusser advising people to start reading >>>>Capital from ch.7. Is this right? >>>>Does anyone have a reference, or even a quote? >>>> >>>>Many thanks if you can help me on this. >>>> >>>>John >>> >>>http://www.generation-online.org/p/fpalthusser11.htm >>> >>>If I said that I was mistaken. Althusser >>>recommends beginning with Part II, chapter 4. >>>Korsch said to begin with Chapter 7, though >>>it would not serve as a good description of a >>>wafer production facility or an automated >>>assembly line! >>> >>>http://www.marxists.org/archive/korsch/19xx/introduction-capital.htm >>> >>> >>>>That is why I want to recommend to the >>>>beginner an approach that diverges somewhat >>>>from Marx's advice on a suitable start for >>>>the ladies (wherein we may sense a certain >>>>deference to the prejudices of his own >>>>time!). I hope that the approach I recommend >>>>will enable the reader to attain a full >>>>understanding of Capital just as readily, or >>>>even more readily than if he were to begin >>>>with the difficult opening chapters. >>>>It is best, I think, to begin with a thorough >>>>perusal of Chapter 7 on 'The Labour Process >>>>and the Process of Producing Surplus-value'. >>>>There are, it is true, a number of >>>>preliminary difficulties to be overcome, but >>>>these are all internal to the matter in hand, >>>>and not due, as are many difficulties in the >>>>preceding chapters, to a really rather >>>>unnecessary artificiality in the >>>>presentation. What is said here refers >>>>directly and immediately to palpable >>>>realities, and in the first instance to the >>>>palpable reality of the human work process. >>>>We encounter straightaway a clear and stark >>>>presentation of an insight essential for the >>>>proper understanding of Capital - the insight >>>>that this real-life work process represents, >>>>under the present regime of the capitalist >>>>mode of production, not only the production >>>>of use-values for human eventually through >>>>the difficult parts as well as the simpler >>>>passages of the book should save this part up >>>>until he really does come to the end of Part >>>>7, for Part 8 was intended by Marx as a final >>>>crowning touch to his work. >>> >>> >>>Now that all this is all on line I can see >>>that I spent way too much of my limited >>>resources buying copies of all these books! >>> >>>In the course of our discussions Fred Moseley >>>said I think that chapter 7 is the most >>>important chapter. Obviously an intriguing >>>position but he did not elaborate. >>> >>>Yours, Rakesh >> >> >>-- >>Riccardo Bellofiore >>Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche >>"Hyman P. Minsky" >>Università di Bergamo >>Via dei Caniana 2 >>I-24127 Bergamo, Italy >>e-mail: riccardo.bellofiore@unibg.it >>direct +39-035-2052545 >>secretary +39-035 2052501 >>fax: +39 035 2052549 >>homepage: http://www.unibg.it/pers/?riccardo.bellofiore -- Riccardo Bellofiore Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Hyman P. Minsky" Università di Bergamo Via dei Caniana 2 I-24127 Bergamo, Italy e-mail: riccardo.bellofiore@unibg.it direct +39-035-2052545 secretary +39-035 2052501 fax: +39 035 2052549 homepage: http://www.unibg.it/pers/?riccardo.bellofiore
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