Cost of beef

["Chris, London" <100423.2040@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Doug:
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From: dhenwood@xxxxxxxxx (Doug Henwood)
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 20:46:26 -0400
Subject: beef

This probably isn't the right place to ask the question, but I wonder what
the cost of beef would be were its social and environmental costs fully
reflected in its price.

Chris B:
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IMHO this is exactly the right place to raise this question, not that
it can't be raised elsewhere too. Whether the value of a commodity is
related to its cost of *re*production or to its cost of production,
is a question of great practical importance and links with issues
about the interpretation of the marxist theory of value.

It supports IMO the importance of a non-mechanical nonstatic interpretation
of the law of value, along the lines of the non-equilibrium economics
promoted by Alan Freeman and others.

And while this is indeed on a very high level of abstraction, and I accept
that Doug has consistently voiced reservations about the relevance of
abstract discussion of the law of value, it actually opens the door to
dialogue with some very creative non-marxist green economic ideas.

And I would submit, endorses the fundamental marxist perspective that
behind money, and indeed capital, what we are really seeing are
*social* relationships, both I would say of oppressor-oppressed, exploiter-
exploited, but also how the society organises itself, distributes its labour
time in creating necessities and surplus, -  and *re*produces itself.

The Beef crisis illustrates all this.

Regards,

Chris B, London.



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