File spoon-archives/marxism-intro.archive/marxism-intro_1997/97-02-04.192, message 128


Date: Sun, 2 Feb 1997 19:46:05 -0700 (MST)
From: Samantha-AT-pseud.pseud
Subject: Re: M-INTRO: Abstract Labor


On Sun, 2 Feb 1997 aussie-AT-pseud.pseud wrote:

> Samantha-AT-pseud.pseud wrote:
> > 
> > Although I have looked over some of Karl Marx material in the
> > past, this is the first time I've actually studied his thoughts on a
> > deeper level.  To be honest, the material is rather confusing to someone
> > like me.   For my first assignment in my Marxian Economics class, I chose
> > to answer the question, "What is abstract human labor?"  I tried to give
> > a sufficient answer, but I'm still not exactly sure what the correct
> > answer is!   When addressing another question about abstract labor, a
> > student by the pseudonym of [36] Bandit wrote this:
> > 
> >         "When labor produces value, it is then called abstract labor
> >         which Marx explains as the 'expenditure of human brains, nerves,
> >         and muscles,' etc.  Abstract labor is thus dependent on the
> >         creation of value, which in turn is dependent on the production
> >         of commodities.  So without the creation of value, abstract
> >         labor had no meaning."
> > 
> > When answering my question, "What is abstract human labor?" the
> > professor did not want me to state its significance in a
> > commodity-producing society.  I think that Bandit has done a good job of
> > explaining what abstract labor is.  He defines abstract labor by giving
> > the factors that it is determined by or the things it is dependent on.
> > By giving the significance of abstract labor in a commodity-producing
> > society, he makes it much easier to understand.
> > I guess that my question is:   How could abstract human labor be defined
> > WITHOUT giving its significance in a commodity-producing society?  If
> > anyone out there has a clear answer to my question, I would love to hear
> > it.  (Because I could very easily be missing something here!)
> > 
> > Thanks!
> > 
> >      --- from list marxism-intro-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> Samantha -- 
> 
> 	I think that abstract human labor is simply how long it takes, on
> average and given the current technology, to produce a given item.  This
> item does not need to be a commodity.  For example, it takes my wife 6
> hours to make her cinnamon rolls (with rising and baking and stuff).  It
> takes me 1 day (because I burn them, they don't rise, whatever.)  My
> little girl takes 3 days to make them because she plays with the dough
> and stuff and has the kitty help her.  Assuming that we are the only
> three people in the picture our cinnamon rolls contain 34 hours of
> abstract labor.  The amount of time it actually takes is concrete labor.
> 
> Hope that helps --- and hope it's right,
> 
> Aussie
> 
> 
> 
>      --- from list marxism-intro-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> 
Aussie:

	Thanks so much for the response.  Your simple explanation helped 
more than you may think (it would have helped even more when I did the 
first assignment!)... If only marx could translate his thoughts into a 
language that everyone could understand!  

Thanks!

Samantha


     --- from list marxism-intro-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---


   

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