Isms and other matters

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

At 6:05 PM +1100 2/23/03, Catherine Driscoll wrote:
>In fact, actually, I'm not sure I think Marx's version of either the 
>exploitation of labour or commodity is sufficient to explain what is 
>or might  be going on with IP at present.
>
>Having spent an all too memorable year on an IP policy committee I'm 
>very aware that, for example, IP in the Australian tertiary sector 
>currently involves a number of factors which are not reducible to 
>maximising profit from the IP-as-commodity. The network of influence 
>between governments, policies (both cacmpaign and otherwise), 
>insitutions, and enterprise bargaining that shape what IP is 
>"maximised" or "exploited" and what is not involves a range of 
>institutional histories and histories of publically finded education 
>and public debate. You cannot understand what is happening with IP 
>through only Marx's model of the commodity, or of the exploitation 
>of labour. I'm not saying it's a better situation than that, only 
>that its complications involve elements of contemporary production 
>that Marx wasn't talking about. And no, what I just said isn't 
>necessarily applicable to the U.S., but then that's the point.
>
>Catherine

Explain to us (A) what you think Marxist theory has to say about 
labor, commodity, exploitation, state, non-state institutions, etc., 
and (B) what specific changes you think you need to make in Marxist 
theory to explain IP better.

At 6:05 PM +1100 2/23/03, Catherine Driscoll wrote:
>But, in any case, are you actually suggesting that if Marxist theory 
>can explain this specific instance, then that proves it to be a 
>complete explanation in every social context, at all times and 
>places? That is... extraordinary.

IP is one of the most prominent examples of dramatic changes in 
production in recent decades.  You might do (A) and (B) with regard 
to any other significant changes in production or social reproduction 
in recent history.  Those calling for changes in Marxist theory, like 
yourself, might explain just what specific changes they think they 
want.
-- 
Yoshie

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