[OPE-L:183] RE: the book on wage labor

Paul Cockshott (wpc@clyder.gn.apc.org)
Sun, 1 Oct 1995 12:15:00 -0700

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Mick P
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Abstract labor cannot be measured. Revaluations of constant capital also
prevent adding up. Marx himself offers contradictory statements.
Sometimes
he sounds like he is aiming for an algebraic analysis; other times, he
indicates that value theory must be more subjective.

Paul
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Do you mean is not measured or can not be measured. Some things
are in principle impossible to measure, either because of
their ontological status - the love of God -, or because they
are conjugate observables like position and momentum. But there is
no reason in principle why, with full knowledge of working
conditions throughout the economy, abstract labour could not
be measured. Clearly this does not happen now, but there
seems no reason to rule out as impossible in all future
societies.