| This question <740-2|253-4> overall <79|81> Savil: <678|158>. |
| Question 134: In the Simple or Accidental form of value, which commodity plays an active role, and which a passive role? Explain what it means in this situation to be active or passive. |
| [80] Savil: passive and active in simple and accidental. In the Simple or Accidental form of value the relative form is the active role, represented in the first commodity, and the equivalent form is the passive role, represented in the second commodity. Therefore, in the example 20 yards of linen = 1 coat the linen would represent the active (relative) role and the coat would represent the passive (equivalent) role. |
| This equation is created from the weaver's standpoint. The linen, in this example, takes the active part because the producer of the linen is the only one who knows how much labor is embodied in the linen. Labor was used to create the linen and the producer needs to see that his labor is not wasted. Thus, he desires to exchange the linen for another commodity thereby making his labor valuable. To borrow from the archives, “he values the labor of the linen in the exchange relationship,” (Perro [1999SP:39]). |
| The coat represents the passive form because the linen producer does not know the value of the labor embodied in the coat. The producer desires the use-value of the coat because all he has is linen, so this is all that is considered in the exchange relationship. Because the linen producer is willing to part with 20 yards of linen for the coat, we could say that the value of the linen is expressed in the use-value of the coat. |
| Hans: You give all the right reasons, but I would not put the knowledge issue first. The primary reason for the linen being active is not that the linen weaver is the only one who knows how much labor went into the linen. The linen weaver know this because she performed the labor. She performed a lot of labor for which she has not yet seen any benefits -- because the linen itself is useless to her. This is what makes the linen active. |
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