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[206] Marcellus: Where is it? “The usefulness of a thing makes it a use-value”
(Marx, 126). Therefore when question 54 states that “the
use-value of a commodity is the utility one gets from using it,”
this rings true. However when it says “the exchange-value is
the utility one gets from using those things one can trade the
commodity for,” this is wrong. As Hans points out in the
discussion on page 18, “the exchange-value of a commodity does
not come from its use-value. And it certainly does not come from the
use-value of the other commodity.” Marx says,
“exchange-value manifests itself as something totally
independent of . . . use-value. But if we abstract from . . .
use-value, there remains . . . value. The common factor . . . in
the exchange-value of the commodity, is therefore its value”
(Marx 128). And this value comes from, “the amount of labour
socially necessary . . . for its production” (Marx, 129).
Simply put, exchange-value of a commodity is determined by the amount
of work put into it. |
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