| |
[135] Prairierose: As Professor Ehrbar elucidates on page 57 of annotations “all labor, whatever
its concrete form, is also ‘abstract labor’ — not because we can think about in
the abstract, but because all labor is the expenditure of human nerves, brains,
muscles, etc. Abstract labor in this definition is a real aspect of every labor
process.” In a capitalist society it is only possible for labor to be measured
as abstract labor. The abstract labor is representative of the physical and
mental efforts input into the commodity by the worker. Labor is then socially
significant in the capitalist market through abstract labor. The capitalist
market trades the commodities with money. The money then flows back to the
worker in the form of wages. However, a greater amount of the money earned from
the commodity is sent back to the owner. Through this process of exchange in
the capitalist market labor has social significance only as abstract labor. |
|