Re: [OPE] Mastering Marxian Economics

From: Dave Zachariah (davez@kth.se)
Date: Mon Jul 28 2008 - 12:30:30 EDT


on 2008-07-28 16:11 Gerald Levy wrote:
>> What precisely is your VLP then? Labour-power as a commodity is one
>> historically specific concept, i.e. it does not apply in say feudalism.
>> However, from your previous exchanges your VLP seems to boils down to "the
>> social labour necessary to reproduce the capacity to work", which is
>> nothing but a subset of the labour above. What is the historical specific
>> part here?
>>     
>
> The historically specific part refers  to capitalism and the relation
> between
> capital and wage-labor.
>   

You are avoiding the main question: What precisely is your VLP?

   1. How is it defined?
   2. How can you make it operational?
   3. How could one measure this quantity?


> Science also cautions against over-reaching and over-generalization.
>   

One has to demonstrate that this is the case.


>> A comparative historical understanding requires general concepts such as
>> "class", "surplus labour", "relations of production" etc.
>>     
>
> Yes, that's true. Certain concepts have trans-historical applicability
> while others are specific to a specific mode of production.
>
>   

Obviously I agree, as stated in my previous post. Now the question 
arises: Does the social labour
time necessary to reproduce use-values set general constraints on any 
society not merely capitalist societies?

//Dave Z
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