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[64] Dyno: linen and coats. Vasco and Goshen both make good points: 1) regarding the coat symbolizing the
value of the linen only if the two sides are reduced to hours of labor and
2) because of the labor that the coat has undertaken it also symoblizes the
linen's use-value. However, I feel the linen itself has endless “use-value”,
afterall “use-value” is the menu of the possible uses of the commodity (Hans
2). Now, 20 yards of linen = 1 coat is obviously not a balanced equation, and
linen has much more “use-value” than a coat. But the “value” of the coat far
exceeds the “value” of the linen. Finally the “exchange-value” of the coat may
or may not be greater than the “exchange-value of the linen” depending on the
circumstances. For instance, someone who can easily spool 20 yards of linen in
one hour, but makes a coat in 4 hours has a choice to make. Spool linen or
make coats? Since they spool 80 yards in the time it takes to make one coat,
it is safe to say the opportuntiy cost of making coats is undesirable. So they
seem to have a comparative advantage in spooling linen. Why not spool for 8
hours, then exchange those 8 spools for 8 coats in which you both have a higher
“use-value” for? |
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