[lbo-talk] value form

joanna 123hop at comcast.net
Wed Sep 27 19:04:03 PDT 2006


I don't think he's saying it's evil; I think he's saying it's not necessary.

I don't quite see how creating something that I myself don't want, necessarily results in a commodity.

I just made many pints of raspberry and strawberry jam. Some I'll eat; some I'll give away. I don't think that makes the jam a commodity.

Joanna

boddi satva wrote:


> C. Bill,
>
> Look around your house.
>
> Consider the things you want.
>
> They're commodities. They are objects subject to exchange, if for no
> other reason than the basket of goods you want in your house is
> different from the basket of goods I want in my house. So we have to
> engage in exchange to get to the basket of goods we need.
>
> Of course people want to do work simply to contribute - the basis of
> society is reciprocal altruism - but they do also want their needs
> met. And so they offer to satisfy the needs of others (writing books,
> working at a computer factory, and, yes, even having sex) in exchange
> for the means to get what they want. It's not an evil thing. For
> reciprocal altruism to work, there has to be reciprocity.
>
> Why do you insist that producing commodities is evil?
>
>
> boddi
>
>
> On 9/27/06, Bill Bartlett <billbartlett at aapt.net.au> wrote:
>
>> At 3:42 PM -0700 27/9/06, boddi satva wrote:
>>
>> >The tragedy is that
>> >people want to work - want to be productive in exchange for their
>> >needs -
>>
>> Wanting to be productive and wanting to be productive in exchange for
>> their needs can be two different things.
>>
>> In fact the latter is somewhat illogical, its a bit like arguing that
>> people want to have sex in exchange for being paid. Isn't it rather
>> the case that people want to be productive and contribute to society
>> full stop?
>>
>> > and find no opportunity. It's tragic that people *want* to
>> >provide for each other and are denied the means because they lack even
>> >small amounts of capital.
>>
>> If people want to provide for each other, then why do you insist that
>> this can only be done through exchange of commodities?
>>
>> Bill Bartlett
>> Bracknell Tas
>> ___________________________________
>> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>>
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