[lbo-talk] The zen of marx (was clarification) ADDENDUM

SA s11131978 at gmail.com
Tue Feb 16 12:02:31 PST 2010



>
> So I tend to think it's the technical division of labor that
> would have to be abolished to eliminate the independent-of-will phenomenon.

I want to follow up because this is an important point. I didn't explain why the technical DoL has to be abolished to get rid of the independent-of-will phenomenon.

Look around your house at all the goods you have. Now try to think of the total number of people directly involved in the production of all those goods. For a book, that would start with the lumbermen who cut down the trees for the paper; the people who work at the paper processing plant; the energy-sector workers at many levels who provided the fuel for the processing plant; etc. Now do that for every good you own, including any cars or houses.

Now think of the aggregate number you've come up with and ask yourself this question. Could you fit that number of people in a room, or videoconference, or some other type of forum, and work out democratically how all that work will be coordinated? How much lumber to send to the processing plant, how much paper to send to the publisher, etc. - but remember, the meeting will have to keep careful accounts as the issues are discussed, to make sure enough paper has been left over for the grocery-bag makers and enough fuel left over for the automakers etc....

If you don't think such democratic coordination is possible, then you are essentially admitting that any feasible method of coordination will leave the resolution of most of these issues independent of the will of most people. Thus, it's the *technical* conditions of production for the goods that determines the independent-of-will effect.

SA



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