>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.
No, stuff you make to give away isn't a commodity. My raspberries are not going to do well this year, so its a pity I can't take advantage of your jam. I'll have to make more redcurrent jelly. I can always give away a lot of that, it makes great presents.
The question of whether commodifying everything is necessary is still an open one though I suppose. If I was starving I might not be so generous. People turn their produce and indeed their bodies, into commodities to sell because they need to, not because they prefer it. Is this necessary? Is it the case that human society is unable to produce enough for everyone to live securely, or is it perhaps the case that people wouldn't contribute without the threat of starvation hanging over them? Nobody seems to thinks so, yet we still have an economic system based on just those assumptions.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas