RE: [OPE] Market socialism

From: GERALD LEVY (gerald_a_levy@msn.com)
Date: Thu Jul 10 2008 - 17:29:28 EDT


You are right Jerry, I am discussing issues at cross purposes, because it is the only way to highlight potential contradictions. My question aims to catch some of you committing a contradiction. 
Bu you have been extremely careful. You deny that Marxists pretend to fix labour tokens proportional to labour values casting aside prices, but it is not clear what this mean exactly: 
1) If you are thinking in a market mechanism of the type that allows dis-proportionalities (disequilibria) operating for socialist purposes; 
2) Or, if you think in “fixing labour tokens proportional to labour values” but without casting aside prices (Langian prices), i.e., using Langian prices indeed;

Please, choose one!
====================================================================
 
So you think there are a maximum of only two possible answers, Alejandro?
 
I choose:
 
3. These are issues that have to be thought through concretely


- and, perhaps, also pragmatically  - within the context of particular
socialist social formations. 
 
and, 
 
4. "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs".
 
[4 is a "goal" and 3 is a context that has to be considered.]  
 
I should add:
 
5. These are decisions which should be made collectively and democratically
by the people themselves in  a socialist society rather than by technicians,
specialists, bureaucrats, political economists, and functionaries.
 
When we combine 5. up with 4, this means there will have to be social
- and democratic - decisions made about "needs".
 
To which one could add:
 
6. _____________________
 
7. _____________________
 
8. _____________________
 
etc., etc., etc. 
 
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, then are dreamt of
in your philosophy" - Shakespeare, Hamlet
 
In solidarity, Jerry


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