[OPE-L:2056] Re: Re: Aristotle's Economic Thought

["Duncan K. Foley" <foleyd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

He spends quite a bit of discussion on just this point. He concludes that
Aristotle cannot resolve the puzzle: exchange value appears to equate
commodities as different use values, but they are, in Aristotle's view,
incommensurable in their natures. Aristotle finally trims around to saying
that exchange value commensurates them "well enough" (or words to that
effect).

Duncan


>Duncan, Marx also acknowledges Aristotle as a source of the problematic
>claim that exchange expresses a relationship of equality (as opposed to
>equivalence).  I wonder if Meikle notes that connection as well.
>
>>I've been reading a very interesting book, Aristotle's Economic Thought, by
>>Scott Meikle (Clarendon Press of Oxford University Press, 1995: ISBN
>>0-19-815225-6).
>>
>>Meikle is very well-read in Marx and carefully relates Aristotle's texts to
>>Marx and Marx to Aristotle. Two very interesting points he makes are that
>>Aristotle is the source of the C-M-C' versus M-C-M' distinction, and that
>>Marx's discussion of the dialectic between use value and exchange value is
>>largely organized around Aristotle's categories and discussion.
>>
>>>From Meikle's point of view, Marx thought Aristotle had pretty much solved
>>the value problem except for his inability to see that labor was the source
>>of value. This takes us back to our recent discussion of the labor/value
>>issues and to the ongoing discussion of the "value form" theory.
>>
>>Duncan
>>
>>
>>Duncan K. Foley
>>Department of Economics
>>Graduate Faculty
>>New School University
>>65 Fifth Avenue
>>New York, NY 10003
>>(212)-229-5906
>>messages: (212)-229-5717
>>fax: (212)-229-5724
>>e-mail: foleyd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>alternate: foleyd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>webpage: http://cepa.newschool.edu/~foleyd
>>

Duncan K. Foley
Department of Economics
Graduate Faculty
New School University
65 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212)-229-5906
messages: (212)-229-5717
fax: (212)-229-5724
e-mail: foleyd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
alternate: foleyd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
webpage: http://cepa.newschool.edu/~foleyd