[OPE-L:3466] Re: Gil's necessary conditions

[Jerry Levy <jerry_levy@xxxxxxx>]

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Michael Williams" <mwilliam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: [OPE-L:3456] Re: Gil's necessary conditions
Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2000 09:33:31 +0100


A brief comment on what looks like a methdological chasm between Gil and at
least some of his interlocutors

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-ope-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:owner-ope-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Gil Skillman
> Sent: Friday, June 09, 2000 12:03 AM
> To: ope-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [OPE-L:3456] Re: Gil's necessary conditions

Gil writes:
>  As a result the existence of surplus value is logically
> *possible* even given price-value equivalence.  *But the significance of
> capitalist production for capitalist exploitation does not in any way lie
> in the existence of this mere logical *possibility*--capitalists don't
> consciously or unconsciously take direct control of production conditions
> in order to be able to reap surplus value even under price-value
> equivalence.

This is to completely misunderstand the process of abstraction involved in
what I have called Marx's 'even-if' logic. This requires neither that
price-value equivalence exists nor that capitalists take it into account in
their decision making. One can always immunize one's argument against
criticism by hopping about between levels of abstraction.


Michael
____________________
Dr Michael Williams
Economics and Social Sciences
De Montfort University
Milton Keynes
MK7 6HP
UK
tel: +1908 834876
[Home: +23 80768641]
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