This question <254|76> overall <261|263> Walmart: <104|263>.  
  Question 141: If the first chapter is such a systematic discussion of value, why is it then called “Commodities” and not “Value”?   
  [262] Walmart: The idea of value comes from commodities being produced, sold, and traded on the market. The explanation has to start with commodity because that is the concept Marx uses throughout the rest of his work to explain the parts of a system. The concepts are all related because they have a central theme, which is the commodity. It is also convenient to start with commodity because a commodity has value as its essence. The value comes from the abstract labor which was put into the creation of that commodity. The exchange-value comes from the interplay of social relations of the market. Important aspects of market economy (wages, costs, profits, demand, and so on) all stem from this basic explanation of commodity, whose analysis points to value. The title and structure of his analysis paints a much clearer and connected picture of capitalism, as opposed to starting from an important aspect with many premises without explanations.   
  Hans: “Value” is the concept capturing the essence of capitalism better, while “commodity” has more to do with the form which this essence takes.   
 
 
 
  Students enrolled for Econ 5080 in 2009fa are invited to give feedback to the above message
Pseudonym:      UofU ID:  
Text: