| This question <767|89> overall <71|73> Darci: <11|74>. |
| Question 46: Is the use-value the reason of the exchange-value? |
| [72] Darci: It is difficult to answer this question with anything other than an “it depends.” In Marx's discussion on the coat and linen, it appears that exchange value is linked to use value. Whether it is the reason for the exchange value seems unclear. He discusses the amount of human labor required to produce both which leads me to believe that exchange value may be the reason for use value in the sense that it may be the final product which contains the value. |
| Hans: Marx distinguishes between three concepts: “exchange value,” “use value,” and “value”. Are you using the concept “value” here in Marx's sense, or perhaps synonymously to “use value”? |
| [72] Darci: When viewed from the perspective of the linen and coat, the coat has a specific use value, whereas, the linen in its unfinished form has not much use value. The linen receives its value when additional labor changes its properties i.e. into a dress, a table cloth, or a coat. This perspective then could change the question into, “does the quantity of labor change the use value which affects the exchange value?” |
| Hans: Marx's concept of use value is not just the value to the end user; intermediate products also have use value. Marx says that explicitly on the first page of Capital |
| Neither does it matter here how the object satisfies these wants, whether directly as means of living, i.e., as an object of enjoyment, or indirectly as means of production. |
| I don't quite understand your argument; but taking this into account you may probably want to revise it. |
| [72] Darci: (datestring)Sat, 28 Jan 1995 09:25:04 -0700 (MST)(/datestring) I have been struggling to comprehend this question and also with technology to get into the other students' answers. I finally got the information I needed. Wednesday's lecture on the clearification of use-values and exchange values helped tremendously, also [127], and [143], helped. I agree with civic's observation. Use value is the carrier for exchange value if I use the analogy of a carrier wave that you gave in class. Thank you again for clearifying this issue. Do you need more than this answer? |
| Hans: No, this is good. I appreciate the cross references. |
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