...I am looking for the Achilles heel of Capitalism so I can construct a Labourist mode of production, working under the assumption that political power is an extension of economic power. What sort of society will emerge once the theft of surplus value is eliminated we can only imagine, but not know.
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Mike Ballard wrote:
> Yes, it seems to me that the very existence of capitalist commodity
production with a view to profit assumes alienation:
DK observed:
However, my question is not about "capitalist commodity production with a view to profit," but whether class inequality can arise out of free exchange without the use of force. *************************
A kibbutz perhaps? Or is that before the end of capitalist commodity production in large, industrially developed parts of the world?
Can small efforts at creating semi-communist social relations within a sea of generalized capitalist social relations outside of the enclave work? Most especially, have they EVER worked yet? They've been tried and each time with some semblance of commodity production.
What I tried to point out was that my opinion is that the history of commodity production from the "get-go", right out of primitive communist social relations, demonstrates that commodity production engenders private ownership of whatever commodity you happen to posess (capital, land, labour power), alienation and class differentions in power i.e. political power.
In terms of your question about commodity production, I think I pointed out in my previous observation the various historical examples where that form of production had been tried and which I thought had more or less settled the argument of whether commodity production could be employed to create a classless society. You implied that I was skirting that question e.g. "to be evaded, or the answer shrouded in incomprehensible allusions and mystification."
I'm trying to be clear. IMO, commodity production will lead where it always has historically: to the social relation of Capital.
Once surplus (exchange)-value is eliminated, the associated producers can get on with life without classes and create the use-values they need for themselves. They can turn the mystification of "the market" and its "invisible hand" on its head i.e. into the registration/mutual recognition of what they desire.
Best, Mike B)
http://happystiletto.blogspot.com/
Skype mike.ballard66
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