How do you measure utility for the purpose of objectively evaluating the useful effect of different expenditures of social labor, so that you can definitely say that one type has more utility than another?
Suppose that the Marxist-Leninist central committee decides building a pyramid for deceased CC members is the most useful thing to do, and the workers think that building swimming pools for their children would be most useful, what do you do then? Shoot those people who disagree with your own concept of utility?
Referring to the previous discussion about productive labour, it could be argued that utility has something to do with the effect of labour on the growth of the real economy. But why should utility necessarily be a function of real output growth?
It seems to me the technocratic-Marxist interpretation substitutes a vague notion of utility for the real moral questions concerning the allocation of resources. The presumption seems to be that the allocation of resources is just "technical" and "scientific" rather than flowing from a particular morality and position of power.
Jurriaan
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Received on Sat Apr 18 05:10:12 2009
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