[OPE-L:7080] [OPE-L:578] Exchange, equivalence, and equality

Alejandro Ramos (aramos@btl.net)
Tue, 02 Mar 1999 22:57:40 -0600

Gil, an addition to my OPE-L 575.

In OPE-L 574, you write:

>>>>

<excerpt><excerpt> This is obviously not the case, since the elements of
the first bundle are units of corn, and of the second bundle are
quantities of iron. Thus they <italic>can't </italic>be equal, according
to this definition (which is standard).

</excerpt></excerpt><<<<<<<<

The equality cannot be (and is not) established in terms of "units of
corn" and "quantities of iron", as you suggest, because these are
"standards of measure for quantities of... useful objects."

The equality is actually established in terms of *units of value* or,
more precisely, in units of the *external* measure of value, i.e. of the
equivalent form of value, which is money when the value-form is
completely developed. This external measure of value expresses its
*internal* measure, abstract labor-time.

Alejandro