Re: [ox-en] Re: What is value?
- From: graham <graham theseamans.net>
- Date: Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:40:45 +0000
Thanks, that makes a lot more sense to me! (three more questions below)
Paul:
I would say that exchange value is a quadernary social relation , but
that value
is a a potential or scalar field. A scalar field is arguably a binary
relation, but
this binary relation is a projection subspace of the higher order
space given
by the technology matrix.
Graham:
- What do the axes of the higher dimensional technology space consist of?
Paul:
They are all the distinct products along one axis and all the
technologies to produce products along the other.
This notation was introduced by von Neumann in the late 20s, but was
also being pioneered by GOSPLAN at the same time
I take it when you say 'technologies' you mean something more like
'means of production' than 'steam power, nuclear power, integrated
circuits, biotechnology' stuck on one axis?
Graham:
- What determines the particular projection of the technology space on
the value space? (is there no social mediation here?)
Paul:
Kantorovich's claim is that it can be found by a process of linear
optimisation. Prior to that Remak and Von Neumann has proved
that there is a solution but not come up with an algorithm for it.
There are presumably lots of different things you could optimize for; I
guess you have to fix what you want and optimize for one? eg. from
possible things you might optimize for, like:
- maximum production of consumer goods
- minimum number of hours worked
- minimum energy usage
- minimum physical resources consumed
you would fix levels for all but one, and optimize for that remaining
variable? If so, doesn't the space end up with a lot more than two axes?
But if the space can only have those two axes, what is the single thing
you're optimizing for?
- what does it mean to say that 'value is a potential or scalar
field'? (To my non-mathematical ears that sounds like an odd mixture
of physics and mathematical usages of 'field').
A potential associates a real number with every point in some set.
Consider the set to be the set of all bundles of goods. Value associates
a real number to all members of this set.
I'm still not getting this one. This is a single number associated with
each *bundle* of goods? The bundle being say the actual total annual
product of a country? So 'value' (as opposed to 'exchange value')
doesn't measure single commodities, but might measure (randomly) output
of Nigeria versus output of Canada?
Graham
Cheers
Graham
_________________________________
Web-Site: http://www.oekonux.org/
Organization: http://www.oekonux.de/projekt/
Contact: projekt oekonux.de
_________________________________
Web-Site: http://www.oekonux.org/
Organization: http://www.oekonux.de/projekt/
Contact: projekt oekonux.de
_________________________________
Web-Site: http://www.oekonux.org/
Organization: http://www.oekonux.de/projekt/
Contact: projekt oekonux.de