This is a short note about the future priorities for the list, in
view of the recent posts by Jerry, Alan and others.
With respect to Jerry's proposal, I agree with Duncan that it
involves a wide variety of questions at distinct levels of
abstraction. This is not a problem in itself (I am troubled by
most of these questions too, and would like the list to address them
all - eventually). However, some of the questions may be simply too
complex to be discussed at this stage; there is a risk that the
discussion may degenerate into several disjoint debates, and there
may be too little common ground to hold them together.
I am also troubled by Alan's proposal, because although it addresses
a number of fundamental questions (which I think have to be discussed
before Jerry's), it also seems way too big.
I would like to propose the following procedure. A few people (two,
three, four, whatever) would co-ordinate debates on two key areas:
(1) the concepts of abstract labour, value and money;
(2) the concepts of value of labour power and wage.
All discussions should take place on the same list, to allow people
to move freely between one area and the other, and to be aware of what
everyone else is talking about. But each area should have a clear
agenda, and a deadline must be set (one month, two months or
whatever).
Of course we will not all have agreed about many issues by the
deadline, but we will have cleared the ground and may proceed towards
discussing other interesting questions (which would be defined after
this first stage is completed).
*********************************************
Alfredo Saad Filho
School of Business and Economic Studies
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT, England
+44-113-233-4472 (tel W)
+44-113-233-4465 (fax W)
+44-113-240-3697 (tel/fax H)
email: ASF2@BES.LEEDS.AC.UK