| This question <699|86> overall <76|78> Frosty: <76|78>. |
| Question 42: The value of a commodity does not increase if it is made by a slow or inept laborer. Explain carefully why not. |
| [77] Frosty: As I answered earlier on question 40, the magnitude of value of a commodity is determined by the labor-time contained in that commodity. Does this mean then that the value of a commodity increases if it is made by a slow or inept laborer? No it is does not. If this were the case, then a commodity produced by a lazy person taking five hours would have more value than a commodity produced by an efficient, more productive person who only takes one hour to produce the same commodity. This cannot clearly be the case in an average society. |
| Hans: You are overlooking or taking for granted that the person in capitalism is only judged by his or her products. If you take the point of view that the person counts and not the things then this whole matter is no longer so clear-cut. |
| [77] Frosty: When Marx wrote that the value of a commodity is measured by the labor-time, I believe he meant labor-time that is “socially necessary” to produce it. Marx wrote that the labor power used to measure the value of a commodity should have the character of the “average” labor power of society and therefore producing a commodity should have no more time necessary on an average. So the laborer should have the socially average degree of skill when producing a commodity. |
| Hans: Again you do not seem aware how repressive a society is in which everybody must be “average” like everybody else. |
| [77] Frosty: The value of a commodity may then be determined precisely according to the society. |
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