[OPE-L:1649] THIS MONTH IN REVIEW [3/96]

glevy@acnet.pratt.edu (glevy@acnet.pratt.edu)
Sun, 31 Mar 1996 04:09:46 -0800

[ show plain text ]

We now have 36 list members. This month began with OPE-L #1267.

There was intense activity during the beginning and end of March with a
"lull" in the middle as many listmembers went to the mini-conference on
value in Boston.

I am not including a "Index" for this month (it takes too much time to
put together).


I. TOPICS DISCUSSED THIS MONTH
===========================

The overwhelming bulk of posts written in March concerned the following
five topics (all but the last continued from February):

* valuation of constant capital and moral depreciation (-47- posts);

* the "transformation problem", especially the TSS and SSS
interpretations of Marx (-115- posts!);

* price-value equivalence and Ch. 5, VI [better known this month as
"capitalism as an organic system" and "surprising agreements"] (-33-
posts);

* gold, credit-money, and fictitious capital (-43- posts);

* math, methodology, and political economy [including "quizes"] (-58-
posts).


Additionally, we discussed more briefly other topics such as:

* international value (continued from February);
* testing LTV with I/O;
* let's look at value anew;
* value theory and levels of analysis;
* teaching technique;
* space and time;
* definitions of accumulation.

II. Procedural Discussions
======================

We had quite a few procedural discussions this month which concerned:

* a visa exclusion for a person from the U.K. who wanted to attend the
mini-conference on value in Boston. A proposal was made that we draft
a public statement in support of that person (see #1438; 1445; and
#1563 especially). That proposal met with overwhelming support from
listmembers, but we are waiting for further information from the
person involved before proceeding.

* I made a proposal in #1273 that we make our archives
publicly-available. That proposal met with a mixed response. There was
enough sentiment, IMO, that the archives should remain closed that the
proposal was de facto defeated.

* a sub-committee discussed the technical aspects of establishing a
duplicate archives site. Iwao now has OPE-L archives at his Web site.
See Iwao's #1608 and my #1614, both dated March 28, for more
information on alternative ways of accessing the archives.

* As reported in #1532 on March 21, we now have two closed "sister"
lists: EM-L (Ernest Mandel/Extending Marx) and CAP-L (Capital).
Possible uses for these lists include: a seminar list, a list like
OPE-L for the "overflow", i.e. future admissions, and a "utility"
list. There was some discussion on how to use these lists, but not
much yet.

III. Outstanding Issues
==================

* We still have to decide what to do specifically regarding the visa
exclusion case (discussed above). We are currently waiting for further
communication via Alan the person involved.

* We should decide how we want to use EM-L and CAP-L. We should
discuss this question more. There seems to be agreement that one of
those lists should be used as a seminar list. *If* that is the case, we
should hear proposals for seminar topics in the next few months and
proceed with making a tentative calendar.

* Where do we go from here regarding new and old threads? I ask, once
again, that listmembers make suggestions for topics to be discussed.


OVERALL, we accomplished a lot this month. We made decisions as a group
(e.g. concerning the visa exclusion case and the archives), we discussed
many important and substantive threads, and we created new vehicles
(i.e. EM-L and CAP-L) for future use. We are acting more as a
collaborative project, IMO, and -- as before -- we need to continue to
select important issues and discuss them with the same high level of
engagement and seriousness.


In OPE-L Solidarity,

Jerry