This question <133|133> overall <132|134> Amy: <99|233>.  
  Question 277: Commodity producers do not exchange their products because they consider the labor in these products to be equal and therefore believe the fruits of the labor should be distributed on an equal basis. Marx claims that, on the contrary, the market interactions induce them to unknowingly equalize their labors. Describe the process by which they equalize their labors, and the goals which they pursue in this process.   
  [133] Amy: Equalization of labor.   Commodity producers equalize their labors unknowingly by trying to develop the most efficient way to produce their product. Producers are focused on generating the greatest amount of product in the least amount of time. The higher the quantity of output for a given amount of time is better. This forces the producers to also increase quality because they have to find a better way to produce that commodity. By increasing the quality of production they are also increasing the quality of the product. There are only so many ways that one can increase quantity, and once one producer has figured out the best way to do it, other firms follow with similar techniques. This starts to make human labor equal, as stated in the text “one-sided interest in quantity leads [commodity producers] to act in such a way that they give their labor the qualitative character of equal human labor” (notes about 167:1/o). The goals that the commodity producers are trying to achieve is greater productivity. They are trying to stay ahead of their competition. By taking what they know about a production process that is effective and making adjustments to it they can increase their quantity and quality of their own product, thus making more money for them.   
  Hans: It is unclear how this would lead to more money for them. Marx basically says that their efforts to be more efficient than the other fail since they end up equal. Chapter Twelve will address the question whether and how this can lead to higher profits.   
 
 
 
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