This question <87|117> overall <89|91> Hans: <89|91>.

Question 179: Explain Marx's metaphor that “value not have it branded on its forehead what it is.”

[90] Hans: The Name T-Shirt   The mistake has been made before in this discussion that you think Marx is talking about the qualities of value, where he is really talking about how value is represented both in the perceptions and the actions of the members of society. Hayduke makes this mistake in [87]. He writes:

The metaphor “value does not have it branded on its forehead what it is” describes how value does not have a fixed, inherent basis.

If you have something branded on your forehead, this means it is a dead giveaway, everybody can read whatever is written on your forehead. Value does not wear a T-shirt saying: “I come from labor.” Hayduke understood this metaphor more in the sense: if something is branded into you then it is something inherent in you. I accept this as a possibility, but this is not what Marx means here. The German says “written”, not “branded”, and I will change my translation so that it also says “written.” Marx is not talking here about what value is, but he is talking about the fact that people are not aware of what value is. Value is labor, but it does not have it branded on its forehead that it is labor, i.e., people are not aware of it that it is labor. The second time when Marx uses this metaphor, he points out the implications of this fact: If they are not aware of what governs their own most basic social relations, this means they cannot be the masters of their social relations.

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