| This question <242|126> overall <117|119> Rollingrock: <65|173>. |
| Question 116: Give everyday examples of “material relations of persons” and “social relations of things.” |
| [118] Rollingrock: “material relations of persons” and “social relations of things” An example of “material relations of persons” is the relation between me and my car dealer. We will continue our relations as long as I am still in the possession of my car. Whenever it has a problem or needs an oil change or tune-up, I will go back to the dealer and have them solve the car problems for me. So that as long as I still own my car, I have to maintain and continue my relationship with the dealer. |
| Example for “social relations of things,” I think as long as there is a society, there are commodities and exchange of the commodities. We are forced to continue to behave the way we are right now. I have to be forced to go to school, wake up early everyday to go to class. Because I want to get my degree in order to get a higher paid job, then I will have income to afford my expenses, to purchase commodities to satisfy my needs and wants. So I would think that as long as it has production in society, there will be money form. (It is necessary to organize the production.) We will have constraints due to the money form. As long as we have constraints in society then we are forced to behave the way we are nowadays - to work in order to exchange for wages. |
| Hans: Your example of material relations of persons is very good. Instead of discussing an example of “social relations of things” (and the commodities which you mention are such an example), you argue that all social relations of production must be commodity relations. Historical experience says that this is not true. There were many societies which did not have commodity relations, and many societies in which commodities existed but labor was not generally wage labor. |
| You are also arguing how good it is that you are forced to to the things which (I presume) you want to do. You seem to think that without this outside pressure you would be merely a couch potato. |
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