Re: [OPE] intermission: value of knowledge

Paula wrote:
> Dave wrote:
> "In my view there is no place for some irreducible human 'essence' or
> quality in a materialist philosophy"
>
> Why not? Matter has qualitative as well as quantitative aspects;
> materialism should take both into account.
>
> wpc wrote:
> "In Marx we get abstract labour identified with energy: abstract
> expenditure of human labour power over time ... [clip] But it raises
> problems when we characterise abstract labour: why for example did the
> hard effort put in by horses and oxen not create value, or did it in
> fact do so in times past?"
>
> Further, why did the labor of prehistoric peoples, of Greek slaves and
> of medieval serfs not create value? Why does the labor of bank
> employees today not create value? Or does it? If it doesn't, then
> abstract labor cannot be merely identified with energy. Energy is a
> necessary but not sufficient condition.
>
> Paula
Paula, I do not think the identification with energy is correct. I think
it was an attempt to think it through with what was then a newly
discovered concept, but is not adequate.
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Received on Sat Dec 12 05:31:21 2009