----- Original Message ----- From: "Carrol Cox" <cbcox at ilstu.edu>
On 9/24/2011 1:13 PM, 123hop at comcast.net wrote:
> "Capitalism is not a conspiracy. It works because you work."
>
> As much as I like this, isn't it a bit of a tautology? Could it not be applied to any economic system?
"Economic system" is more or less synonmous with "Capitalism. Other social forms are NOT "systems" as capitalism is, nor is there the separation of state an "economy" that occurs under capitalism. (See ellen Meiksins Wood, Passim). The productivity of Baron A's peasants has no effect on the meaningof the labor of the peasants under Baron B. Relations (except perhaps in some controversial ultimate 'metaphysical sense) are external, not internal. And of course it is through coercion,not through any economic relation, that the product of the peasant's labor is transferred to the Baron.
Workers under capitalism recreate capitalism, not merely an arbitrary ruling class, with their labor.
In now way can the propositioiin be applied to other social formations than capitalism.
Carrol ___________________________________
Workers in any system re-create that system because the system (whether you call it economic or social) needs a material basis to function.
Like I say, I want to like the aphorism, but somehow, it falls short.
Joanna