| This question <333-2|304-2> overall <37|39> Hans: <28|56>. |
| Question 56: In capitalism, products are produced with the use of labor power. Therefore the value of the products comes from the value of labor power, and the use value from the use value of labor power. Is this a correct rendering of Marx's theory? (Warning: this Question uses material to be covered later.) |
| [38] Hans: In case you wondered: here is the answer to 56 Nobody answered Question 56 yet, but message [25], which is an answer to 70, commits an error that could have been prevented by knowing the correct answer to Question 56. It also makes a second important error, and my advice to you is to read this here so that you can learn from it. |
| In submission [25], Eagle tried to answer Question 70, whether skilled labor produces more value than unskilled labor. He answers it in the affirmative, which is correct, but the reasons he brings are not the reasons Marx would bring, although Eagle thinks he is representing Marx's theory. Therefore Eagle's answers are wrong. But some wrong answers are more instructive than others. |
| The explanation of value given by Eagle in his first paragraph is that given in Question 56, and the answer to Question 56 is that this is not Marx's theory. Eagle argues that skilled labor has a higher wage, therefore it costs more to hire skilled labor, therefore the products produced by skilled labor have more value. How does Marx criticize this theory? He says it is circular, because the value of the output is reduced to the value of the inputs, and so forth ad infinitum, it explains the value of one thing by the value of another thing. This is not an explanation of value because you still haven't explained the value of that other thing. |
| In the second and third paragraph, Eagle gives a completely different set of arguments why skilled labor creates more value than unskilled labor. Here he tries to apply the theory of the lazy or handicapped or unskilful laborer to the question at hand. But Question 70 does not talk about two individuals producing the same thing, where one is faster than the other, but its context is Section 2 of Chapter One, which talks about the differences in value created say by an unskilled ditch digger digging ditches, and a skilled trades craftsman repairing machines. One will not see them both produce the same thing, therefore Eagle's answer that that person who produces more coats per hour also produces more value per hour is inapplicable here. |
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