efrain
banner
efrain.bsky.social
efrain
@efrain.bsky.social
Comrade ☭. Demisexual. Genderqueer. Abolitionist. Decolonialist. Anti-imperialist. Jazz trumpet dabbler. AuDHD. Afflicted w/an incurable love for NYC. I support the real movement which abolishes the present state of things.
Labor is not just a cost of production; it is the substance of value itself, irrespective of the subjective assessments of individuals. Therefore, Marx's theory of value remains robust and relevant in understanding the dynamics of capitalist society.
April 14, 2024 at 8:36 PM
The assertion that labor only has intrinsic value when it has extrinsic value overlooks the dialectical relationship between labor and the means of production within capitalism.
April 14, 2024 at 8:35 PM
The value of labor power is determined by the socially necessary labor time required for its reproduction, including the provision of the means of subsistence for the worker and their family.
April 14, 2024 at 8:35 PM
Also, Marx distinguishes between labor power, the capacity to work, and labor itself, the actual expenditure of that capacity.
April 14, 2024 at 8:34 PM
Labor, in Marx’s analysis, possesses intrinsic value precisely because it is the fundamental activity through which society reproduces itself. It is not merely a subjective assessment but a recognition of the essential role labor plays in the creation of value within a capitalist economy.
April 14, 2024 at 8:34 PM
Marx's conception of labor as the source of value is not subjective but rather rooted in the objective conditions of capitalist society.
April 14, 2024 at 8:33 PM
Marx's theory of value goes beyond a mere calculation of the labor required to produce a commodity. It delves into the social relations and structures that underpin the capitalist mode of production.
April 14, 2024 at 8:33 PM
Respectfully, I’ve noticed that your responses are consistently a reflection of your own assumptions and misunderstandings of Marx’s work rather than Marx’s claims or analyses. Simplifying it to labor is YOUR incorrectly projected claim to Marx. I’d ask that you provide direct quotes w/ your claims.
April 14, 2024 at 8:33 PM
Rather, it provides a framework for understanding the social and economic dynamics of capitalist production relations, wherein the extraction of surplus value from labor is a defining characteristic of capitalist exploitation.
April 2, 2024 at 5:18 AM
Therefore, the labor theory of value does not posit labor as objectively the cost or value of a good or service in isolation, nor does it inherently lead to the belief that exploitation is objectively occurring.
April 2, 2024 at 5:18 AM
"Labour-power, however, becomes a commodity only under specific historical conditions...The value of labour-power is determined, as in the case of every other commodity, by the labour-time necessary for the production, and consequently also the reproduction, of this specific article."
April 2, 2024 at 5:17 AM
Also, Marx explicitly distinguishes between labor as a source of value and labor as a commodity within capitalist relations of production. He explains:
April 2, 2024 at 5:17 AM
Marx himself addressed this misconception:

"The value of commodities is determined by the socially necessary labour time embodied in them, and this, under the conditions of production normal for a given society, is regulated by the socially average intensity of labour." - Marx, "Capital, Vol I"
April 2, 2024 at 5:16 AM
However, this does not imply that labor itself possesses an objective or intrinsic value outside of its social context within capitalist society.
April 2, 2024 at 5:16 AM
Marx's labor theory of value is based on the premise that the value of a commodity is determined by the amount of socially necessary labor time required for its production.
April 2, 2024 at 5:15 AM
This misinterprets the principles of the labor theory of value as expounded by Marx. In Marxist theory, the labor theory of value does not assert an extrinsic or inherent value of labor itself, but rather it seeks to understand the social relations embedded within the capitalist mode of production.
April 2, 2024 at 5:15 AM
Thanks for the constructive exchange. A rarity on social media for things to not devolve into a match of insults these days!
March 13, 2024 at 7:00 PM
This is to say that his analysis is based on what could be materially observed, dialectical and historically. No one should stop you from basing your own analysis using a belief in an unobservable phenomenon, but it won’t be very compelling as an analysis. I’m sure you understand that.
March 13, 2024 at 6:59 PM
By exposing the social relations of production and the unequal distribution of value within capitalist society, the labor theory of value sheds light on the systemic injustices inherent in capitalist production.
March 13, 2024 at 6:54 PM
So, while the labor theory of value may not capture every aspect of subjective evaluations of labor, it remains a crucial tool for understanding the exploitation of labor under capitalism.
March 13, 2024 at 6:54 PM
Under capitalism, the value of labor is determined not by its intrinsic worth or the satisfaction it brings to the worker, but by its exchange value in the capitalist market.
March 13, 2024 at 6:53 PM
Moreover, Marx's labor theory of value acknowledges that the capitalist mode of production distorts the intrinsic value of labor by reducing it to a commodity to be bought and sold on the market.
March 13, 2024 at 6:53 PM
In a capitalist society, labor is commodified and exchanged for a wage, regardless of whether it is considered pleasant or meaningful by the worker.
March 13, 2024 at 6:53 PM