Cologne 16-Feb-2006

As part of the tenth anniversary of the artefact web site 1996-2006,
here's
a new article that draws some long-pondered threads together:

‘Exchange, Value, Justice -- Aristotle, Adam Smith, Karl Marx'’

http://www.webcom.com/artefact/untpltcl/exchvljs.html

Abstract:
What is to be learned by reconsidering exchange relations, money, value
and justice at three major stations in the history of political
philosophy: Aristotle, Adam Smith, Karl Marx? First of all, that money
is not merely a self-evident thing whose being does not pose subtle
philosophical problems that demand well-thought ontological concepts of
human association through exchange. Second, that the value of useful
things which are used in the usages of everyday life comes about through
a process of reciprocal social recognition in exchange and cannot be
attributed to any intrinsic (causal) measure such as the labour-time
embodied in those useful things. Third, given that such a thing as
‘value creation’ cannot be attributed to spent labour power measure by
time, there is no injustice per se involved in workers hiring their
labour power to an employer who directs the exercise of their labour
power. Fourth, on the score that hired labour-power is directed by an
other, namely the employer, and therefore ‘alienated’ in a literal
sense, there also is no inherent injustice. Fifth, and finally, that
association through the interplay of money-mediated exchange goes
essentially hand in hand with the socio-ontological possibility of
existence of the free individual who is the hallmark of Western liberal
society.

You'll find the full artefact inventory under:

http://www.webcom.com/artefact/artfinvn.html

Good thinking!
Michael
_-_-_-_-_-_-_- artefact text and translation _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- made by art _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
http://www.webcom.com/artefact/ _-_-_-_- artefact@... _-_
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Dr Michael Eldred -_-_-
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