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[33] DrGuevara: The Economic Structure. The productive powers are not part of the “economic
structure” as defined by Marx. This is because productive
powers are not part of the relations of production.
Relations of production according to Marx “constitutes the
economic structure of society, the real basis . . .” The
relations of production are the relations of the producers
with the production process. Productive powers are both
means of production and labor power. The means of
production being the tools and machinery used in the
production process and labor power being the skill of the
workers in using productive equipment. Thus productive
powers are not part of the economic basis but are what the
economic basis rests on. An example is a computer. The
‘relations of production’ in this example are the computer.
Its components interact so that the computer works, they
constitute the structure of the computer. The electricity
used to power the computer is not part of the computer but
is the basis of the computer. In the same way one can say
that tools, machinery, and labor keep the economic structure
moving, but they are not part of a relation of production.
We do not in a sense interact with the electricity of the
computer but with the computer itself. We do however use the
electricity. In another sense we do not interact with the
hammer, we merely use it. We do interact with the project
in which we are working on. |
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