| This question <32|32> overall <31|33> Breakaway: <462|184-31>. |
| Question 69: Why is value determined by the socially average conditions of production, rather than by the best conditions of production attained in society? |
| [32] Breakaway: Value is determined by the socially average conditions of production rather than by the best conditions of production. This is so because of prevailing factors throughout society. |
| Marx says that labor and technology are the keys to understanding what is socially necessary. We need to know what socially necessary means, because it tells us that a laborer will use their labor powers to produce a commodity using no more labor time than is, on the average, socially necessary. This will help to define average conditions in society. |
| Labor in all its forms can be abstracted to one thing. Expenditures of labor power. This labor power can be used to produce any commodity. People do not all perform in the exact way. Some may be better at some things and others may perform not as well as others. This is because we are not all the same. But it is known that the majority of people perform in generally the same way. This is partly what is meant by average. |
| Average, as explained by Marx, does not mean anything in an arithmetic sense. There is more than one measure of central tendency. Marx does not define average using any of these terms. It is impossible to find an absolute average in any given situation. It is, therefore, needful that each situation needs to be considered one at a time. |
| Technology is the other key. Society at any given moment has production methods that are socially normal and prevalent or up to date. Whatever this technology may be must be used by the laborer to perform in a socially necessary manner. |
| By utilizing the preceding concepts, which the majority of society is using, laborers will be producing commodities under socially average conditions. Not every laborer has access to the best conditions of society. They should, however, have access to these average means. The current accepted or up to date means of producing. |
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