This was my point. The comrade was maintaining that only production of physical objects for sale was productive (of SV) and that all paper pushing (in particular), FIRE, accountancy, legal services, was unproductive rent-taking, just shifting around SV created by others. This part of a left over lament about de-industrialization (which can be lamented but not, I think on these grounds).
Now some white collar work is mere rent-taking, but I maintained that _in general_ any work done for wages that has the potential be realized as profit, whether goods or services, is "productive") of SV. Here I think I agree with Shage Mage as I understand him.
The reason a trip to grandma's house is not productive of SV is that it occurs outside the market economy and is not done for wages to make profits. The paper pushing work of a commercial lawyer (an associate, leave out the complications of partnership) occurs inside the market and is done for wages to produce profits. The work is productive of SV, therefore even if it only involves taking words off WEstlaw, thinking about them, and putting words on paper.
--- Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> On Feb 12, 2008, at 11:42 AM, andie nachgeborenen
> wrote:
>
> > I got into a dispute at a recent Solidarity
> meeting
> > about "unproductive labor," whether labor that
> does
> > not involve production of physical object
> generates
> > surplus value and real profit as opposed to mere
> rent.
>
> Minor point: it's not about the production of a
> physical object -
> services can be "productive" in this view. The
> transportation of
> vehicular components can be productive. The
> transportation of people
> to visit grandma isn't.
>
> Doug
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>
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