This question <98|98> overall <95|97> Stuart: <82|168>.  
  Question 118: How does Marx's statement in 138:2/o that a commodity's value material “does not contain a single atom of physical matter” relate to his other statement in 177:3-4 that “no chemist has ever discovered exchange-value in pearl or diamond.” Do they say the same thing or something different?   
  [96] Stuart: Physical properties of commodities != value.   Both of these statements say the same thing. The first statement that a commodity's value “does not contain a single atom of physical matter” is saying that the physical properties of a commodity do not contribute to its value. The 2nd statement says the same thing in a different way, it states “no chemist has ever discovered exchange-value in a pearl or diamond.” Chemists examine physical properties of matter, by only examining the physical properties one is not able to determine value. According to Marx, value of a commodity is determined by the abstract labor used in creating the commodity, not its physical characteristics.   
 
 
 
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