Log in

View Full Version : What determines the ACTUAL value?



Dominicana_1965
5th January 2007, 17:34
I was reading into Labour Value and Surplus Value.

And my question is what exactly determines the actual value of a commodity?
Is it the undistributed profit and if so wouldn't that be considered a wage in some way?

More Fire for the People
5th January 2007, 17:46
The amount of socially-necessary labor to produce a commodity determines said commodity's price. Worker W expounds X amount of her labor-power making commodity Y. In return for the use of her labor-power, capitalist C gives W a wage that is equal to the necessary amount of money in order to re-use her labour. However, C wants a profit, and so he has W produce more than what is necessary to replinish her wages in profit. Profit is thus surplus-value because it is value created not value replenished.