> > So I thought I'd > From: sartes...@earthlink.net > Date: Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:04:51 PST > ask the list participants if they've ever considered certain apparent > self-contradictions in Marx's Capital? <snip>
The way this question is framed gives me the feeling that sartesian is telling us these are self-contradictory rather than asking for others' views. Perhaps they appear self-contradictory to cartesian because he doesn't realize that Marx is analyzing contradiction. Is there a contradiction between the law of value and the notion that increased productivity raises the rate of surplus value? Yes there is. That is what Marx was investigating. It would be pedantic to address points two and three because they simply reiterate the same mistake as point one, which is attributing to Marx a "law" that was fundamental to classical political economy but that Marx is seeking to demonstrate the contradictory nature of. This is not to say that Marx was always clear in his presentation or that his analysis is beyond criticism. Some of that is no doubt due to changes he made through a process of multiple drafts and the difficulties of being consistent in the use of terms. For example, he introduces "socially necessary labour time" in the early chapters of *Capital *and then inexplicably omits any mention of it in chapters 15 and 25, where the category is essential. By "socially necessary," Marx meant necessary to the expanded reproduction of capital, *not* to provisioning the population with necessities. Cheers, Tom Walker (Sandwichman) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#35034): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/35034 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/111037083/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: marxmail+ow...@groups.io Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [arch...@mail-archive.com] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
