[OPE-L:1182] Re: Re: Unproductive labour income and Marxian social accounts

From: Jurriaan Bendien (djjb99@worldonline.nl)
Date: Sat Sep 11 1999 - 10:53:32 EDT


Ajit Sinha writes:

Now, if we are in the business of interpretation, then we must first of all
develop an understanding of the problematic that particular author or the
book is dealing
>with. Only then we can ascertain the nature of the problem of value for
that author or the book.

My own view of why Marx needs a theory of value, why he is concerned with
it, is based my own reading of Marx and informed by the following
interpretions of Marx: Ernest Mandel, Marxist Economic Theory; Kozo Uno,
Principles of Political Economy; Isaac I. Rubin, Marx's Theory of Value &
History of Economic Thought; Roman Rosdolsy, The Making of Marx's Capital;
Oskar Lange, Political Economy; Johann Witt-Hansen, Historical Materialism:
The Method, the Theories. Needless to say, these authors do not all agree
on everything but, for me, works such as these come closest to Marx's
intention.

>In more general terms, I think every economic theory needs a theory of value
>because quantification in economics cannot take two steps without
confronting the need for a theory of value. The theory of value is
intricately linked with the
>problem of unit of measure.

There I agree with you emphatically. The absurdities of neo-eclassical
economics are ultimately traceable to the absence of a coherent concept of
economic value.

Cheers

Jurriaan



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