| This question <182|207> overall <182|186> Dyoung: <110|186>. graded B– |
| Question 223: Describe the joint work of all commodities which is necessary to appropriately express the value of one commodity. |
| [184] Dyoung: The "value" of value. In looking over my answer for this question, I see that I needed to explain myself a lot better. |
| The joint work of all commodities is that they find a way to appropriately express their exchange-value, or the value of one commodity in reference to another commodity. This has little to do with the use-value. There needs to be an expression of value for all commodities, the value here would be made up from the ‘crystals of labor’ embedded in the commodity. It is this congealed labor which makes them exchangeable. The expression of this labor can be in the form of money or another commodity such as gold, which can be used for money as a medium of exchange. This is helpful so that producers can determine prices and so that laborers can determine wages. |
| Hans: You are wrong to say that commodities need to express their exchange-values. Rather, they need to express their values. The value of a commodity is something intrinsic, it is not something “in reference to another commodity.” Roughly speaking, this value is the labor inside the commodity. This value must be expressed. The commodity's exchange-value is one way of expressing it. But the commodity's price, its exchange-value expressed in money, is a better way. For this better way the joint work of all commodities is necessary. |
|
|
|||||