A reply to Ajit's ope-l 4598.
Ajit writes: "Good to see you in the sun light!"
Please refrain from personal remarks.
Ajit writes: "My question concerns only two time periods. Forget the input
prices of period zero. We got nothing to do withthat. You have an output
price of period zero, which is "givn" and which is also the input price of
period one. The second price we are concerned with is the output price of
period 1."
Perhaps your NEW question concerns only two time periods. Your ORIGINAL
question, which is the question I answered, did not. Let me quote: "If we
assume that the system is in simple reproduction schema and everything in the
world, leaving prices out, remain constant from period zero to period one,
then wouldn't you agree that the prices would also remain the same in period
one as they were in period zero[?]"
Since Marx's simple reproduction schema deal with production periods one year
long, and you were dealing with two such periods, you were dealing with what
you would now call three "time periods." Why are you changing the question?
But changing the question doesn't help you any. The issue remains the same.
Now we have one period in a schema of simple reproduction. Say that this
period is one year long, as Marx assumed. Call it 1997, because I don't like
dealing with negative numbers. Ajit's NEW question is: "Now tell me what
reasons you can think of that would make the output prices differ from the
input prices?"
Thus, I am to put forth reasons why the prices of Jan. 1, 1997 may differ from
those of Dec. 31, 1997.
But rather than putting forth some particular reasons, let me try to be as
general as possible. In what year are the output prices of 1997 determined?
If you admit that the answer is 1997, then that means that the output prices
of 1996 are determined in 1996. And since the end of 1996 is the start of
1997, the input prices of 1997 are also determined in 1996. Hence, any and
all factors that cause the output prices of 1996 to differ from the output
prices of 1997 likewise cause the input prices of 1997 to differ from the
output prices of 1997.
Sound familiar?
Given that Ajit's new question has removed all constraints on what took place
in 1996, do I really need to explain how the output prices of 1996 and of 1997
can differ?
Andrew Kliman