So then what’s the point of the labour theory of value? Why do we need to use hours of labour as a measurement of value?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for gay space communism, as long as it can work. I’d love to live in a money-free society, and just take basic income to do what I love: teaching science to others and exploring it more deeply myself. I think that “to each according to their needs” is an admirable baseline, but how do you convince people that it’s worthwhile to buy into that, since it would take serious buy-in from the vast majority of people to make it work (otherwise, the coffers of the state will be empty, and you get mass death)
Personally, I’d be fine with a state takeover of every industry, then turning everything into a worker co-op. Of course, as a public educator, that’s already how it works for me, but my sector could use stronger unions and the right to strike (in my jurisdiction, neither of these are present)
The post wasn’t made to suggest this analogy as the solution but rather as a thought experiment to demonstrate the evil of money hoarders. Once enough of us recognize the evil and farcical nature of capital then we can work towards a solution.
Absolutely, and this post is highly simplified. The reason I’m bringing Marx into this is that many other commenters have been saying that this is effectively an oversimplification of Marx’s Labour Theory of Value, and I’ve been trying to examine communism, socialism, and other theories of governance in an effort to be an informed citizen of the world, as you say, working toward a solution. I firmly believe that, if you don’t have that solution worked out before you begin, you end up just playing catch-up. So, I’m asking the Marxists ITT to help me understand the nuances of the Labour Theory of Value. I recently read about several communes which replaced money with the promise of labour, or the evidence of labour in the public good, and I like the idea, but I want to understand the nuances of how such an upending of economic theory would work. I really want this boat to hold water, so I’m trying to find any potential leaks before we set it adrift on a roiling sea.
So then what’s the point of the labour theory of value? Why do we need to use hours of labour as a measurement of value?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for gay space communism, as long as it can work. I’d love to live in a money-free society, and just take basic income to do what I love: teaching science to others and exploring it more deeply myself. I think that “to each according to their needs” is an admirable baseline, but how do you convince people that it’s worthwhile to buy into that, since it would take serious buy-in from the vast majority of people to make it work (otherwise, the coffers of the state will be empty, and you get mass death)
Personally, I’d be fine with a state takeover of every industry, then turning everything into a worker co-op. Of course, as a public educator, that’s already how it works for me, but my sector could use stronger unions and the right to strike (in my jurisdiction, neither of these are present)
The post wasn’t made to suggest this analogy as the solution but rather as a thought experiment to demonstrate the evil of money hoarders. Once enough of us recognize the evil and farcical nature of capital then we can work towards a solution.
Absolutely, and this post is highly simplified. The reason I’m bringing Marx into this is that many other commenters have been saying that this is effectively an oversimplification of Marx’s Labour Theory of Value, and I’ve been trying to examine communism, socialism, and other theories of governance in an effort to be an informed citizen of the world, as you say, working toward a solution. I firmly believe that, if you don’t have that solution worked out before you begin, you end up just playing catch-up. So, I’m asking the Marxists ITT to help me understand the nuances of the Labour Theory of Value. I recently read about several communes which replaced money with the promise of labour, or the evidence of labour in the public good, and I like the idea, but I want to understand the nuances of how such an upending of economic theory would work. I really want this boat to hold water, so I’m trying to find any potential leaks before we set it adrift on a roiling sea.