The _subsidieary_ sense, _as_ subsidiary, is not necessarily in conflict with the Marx's explicit definition: labor involved in the realization of surplus value. If labor and value both disappear, such labor would not be needed. In a minimally functioning semi-socialist society there would be no need for insurance companies or advertising agencies; in a fully socialist order there would be no need for checkout-clerks. And so forth. It would be distorting to make that point _explicitly_; to do so wouold confuse understanding of capitalism -- which happens too often anyhow through misunderstanding of the distinction. Bt it can't help but be an implicit point in any historical view of capitalism.
Carrol -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael Nuwer Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2012 6:01 PM To: Progressive Economics Subject: Re: [Pen-l] Profits call the tune On 7/1/2012 1:16 PM, Jim Devine wrote: > > In any > event, the meaning of "unproductive labor" is pretty clear in Marx. > (Unproductive labor does not produce surplus-value directly.) Kay Hunt thinks that there are two different definitions of productive labor running through Marx's writings. The one you identify and: "throughout all of Marx's writings on productive and unproductive labor there seems to be an implicit, subsidiary definition of unproductive labor as that labor which is necessary only because of the irrationalities (from a socialist, normative perspective) of the capitalist social structure." http://www2.potsdam.edu/nuwermj/Productive_Unproductive_Labor.pdf > The key > question is that whether or not the concept is relevant in some way to > understanding capitalism (as opposed to merely criticizing political > economy). I don't think that the concept helps much at all (though I'm > willing to be convinced otherwise). If Hunt is correct that Marx's writings are inconsistent, perhaps Marx too was not sure whether or not the concept is relevant. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
