Jerry wrote:
> Insurance was explicitly given as an example of faux frais by Marx:
> see Capital, Volume 2, Ch. 6, Section 1.
But it takes a "definite amount of coexisting labor" (Ian's expression) for
insurance workers to do their jobs, write or manage the policies, answer
customer calls, etc. Yet such labour does not produce value, at least
according to Marx. Hence it cannot be the basis of value.
> A commodity is produced (the opera) and this commodity
> has a use-value and an exchange-value. Although we might call it a
> 'service' it really is functionally the same as any good which takes
> the commodity-form.
Well, Ian has already referred to one functional difference. I'll pursue
that in the other thread.
> Unlike car insurance, one doesn't go to an opera because of legal reasons.
The reasons are irrelevant, they pertain only to use-value (and as Jerry
well knows many people buy car insurance beyond the legal requirement...)
Paula
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Received on Wed Oct 6 19:31:45 2010
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