| This question <87|96> overall <87|95> Leftyjace: <55|542>. |
| Question 112: Can you think of determinants of the labor process which do not belong to it as useful labor? |
| [90] Leftyjace: While I can see the direction Dabears is headed in [87], I do not believe Dabears answered the question as it was intended. It seems Dabears answer would be better suited to the question “Can you think of specific results of labor in the production of a commodity which are not useful labor?” Instead, it is asked whether we think the “determinants of the labor process” belong to it, or to the labor process itself, as useful labor. If I am incorrect in my interpretation of the question, then so be it - but I will do my best to answer the question as I interpret it. According to Marx and Hans on page 55 of the Annotations the five determinants of the labor process are “purpose, mode of operation, object, means, and result.” Let us look at these individually. |
| The purpose of the labor, exemplified by Hans's question “What do I want to get done?”, gives us the very direction of our labor that will lead to it being useful. This direction is useful in and of itself. We cannot undertake a purposeful, or useful, journey without a destination in mind. |
| Determining the mode of operation, or “What kind of activity is necessary to achieve this?”, is useful inasmuch as it identifies the labor activity required to yield the desired outcome. |
| Choosing the object or objects, or “What to work on, and what to work with?”, is useful. The producer is selecting the materials necessary for reconstructing or reorganizing said materials into a different useful form. These raw materials serve a purpose, as the new object or commodity could not exist in its new form without them. The object is therefore useful. The means, which are the efforts to yield the desired result, are useful. The means themselves are necessary in creating the commodity. Other means could possibly be used, but the means chosen are useful for yielding the finished product in the desired form. |
| The result, or asking the question “Are my efforts yielding the desired result?”, is very useful. As I stated before, without the destination, the journey is meaningless. If we do not inspect our result (both during our labor and at its conclusion) to see if we are achieving (or have achieved) what we should, then our labors have been for naught, and are not useful. Therefore, the result, or the judgment as to whether we are on course for our desired destination, is useful in that it allows us to gauge the success or failure of our labors. |
| Therefore, in my opinion, all of the determinants of the labor process do in fact belong to it as useful labor. |
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