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[16] Stonewall: exchange-value inherentness. As Marx indicates, commodities are exchanged at wildly different proportions
at different times and places. Now if the exchange value was inherent in
the commodity you would get the same exchange rate for the item in question
throughout the world. But that is not the case, people are the market, they
make the decision that best suits their needs. A industrial lawnmower is
going to be a whole hell of a lot more productive sitting in some farmer's
or greenskeeper's yard than at my house where there is about 1/2 acre of
property. That lawnmower would be of no worth to me. Marx goes on to say
that the exchange value is “something accidental and purely relative.” Just
as I pointed out. Other factors besides the commodity determine the
exchange value. The place, if there are other items which may be
substitutes, who is involved. Just because something exists everywhere
doesn't mean that the value is the same everywhere. |
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