On Tue, 13 Jun 1995, bill mitchell wrote: > Rod gives us his clear logic: > > > >4. Society is infested with parasites (capitalists, landlords, clergy, > >university professors) who suck off the cream without contributing. > >Therefore society must produce a surplus above what is needed to > >reproduce itself. > > i could comment on the others but this one has major problems. like all > simplifications the qualifications begin. > > the need to produce a surplus is not a therefore following the statement that > society is infested with parasites (cappos, landlords or unproductive labour > (in the marxian sense)). > > in a simple socialist (parasite free) two sector economy producing consumption > and capital goods, the workers in the consumption goods sector _have to_ > produce a surplus if the capital goods sector workers are to eat! > > if parasites, then surplus is a false logic and does not fit into the LTV. > > bill Think Macro. Not Micro. Of course everyone has to eat. What you have done is change the meaning of surplus in mid-argument. If the capital goods workers are contributing to necessary output they are not consuming social surplus. Value is not defined in terms of individual activity but social activity. The price system measures the individual. The value system measures the social. -- Rod
