| This question <29|29> overall <29|34> Hans: <1954|35>. |
| Question 702: Give examples where use-value is an economic form determination. (Difficult!) |
| [33] Hans: Cell phones and the internet: consumption with social ramifications. Thugtorius argues that use-values are anchored in the physical characteristics of the goods, therefore outside the realm of political economy. This is a very general argument; it is probably true most of the time, but there are likely to be exceptions. And the main exception Thugtorious could think of was increases in productivity, which eliminate jobs and in this way have economic effects. |
| I am pleased to have our discussion begin with such a high-quality contribution (which would certainly have received an A had it been graded). But let me spin the argument on: can't one say that production is anchored in nature too? Why does Marx say that production is a very central activity which affects the whole structure of society, but consumption is not? |
| I think the answer is that consumption can be done individually, but production is always of necessity a social process. Individuals are forced to live in society, rather than going off on their own, because they cannot provide for themselves if they are cut off from society. |
| This is my explanation why Marx writes, in the text just after Question 701: |
| Although use-values serve social needs and therefore exist within a social context, they do not express a social relation of production. |
| Recent technological advances have provided a test case for the hypothesis that consumption does not have an impact on the social relations because it is done individually. Modern information technology (cell phones, computers) cannot be consumed alone. If the hypothesis is true, this means that this kind of consumption can indeed have an impact on the social structure. A society in which everyone wears a cell phone and is in contact several times a day with their circle of friends is a different society than one in which everbody is either at home or on the job or in the car, with much more restricted and predictable outside interaction. And a world in which people can communicate instantly and cheaply around the globe is also apt to engender different social relations. I am optimistic that these new consumer goods will have a positive impact. |
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