THE COMMODITY FETISH TIMES
AND ITS SECRET
Kapital, Chapter 1, pp.163-177
The mysterious character of the commodity form is due to the fact that a commodity, the product
of labor, reflects human social relations embodied in its production and exchange.
For example: The magnitude of the value of commodities is a measure of the expenditure of
human-labor power. Also, the social relationships between various producers translates into a social relation between the
commodities they produce.
Thus, the commodity-form and value-relation between commodities have nothing to do with
physical properties of the materials from which they are made but rather with the social relations
involved in their production and exchange.
The fetishism with commodities arises from the social character of the labor which produced them.
Material objects become commodities only because they are the product of laborers working
individually from each other. It is only by being exchanged that the products of labor aquire
uniformity of values distinct from their utility-producing or phyiscal properties. Thus, man-made
material goods are artificially given a 'life' of their own ,i.e. value seemingly inherent in them.
AND ITS SECRET
Kapital, Chapter 1, pp.163-177
The mysterious character of the commodity form is due to the fact that a commodity, the product
of labor, reflects human social relations embodied in its production and exchange.
For example: The magnitude of the value of commodities is a measure of the expenditure of
human-labor power. Also, the social relationships between various producers translates into a social relation between the
commodities they produce.
Thus, the commodity-form and value-relation between commodities have nothing to do with
physical properties of the materials from which they are made but rather with the social relations
involved in their production and exchange.
The fetishism with commodities arises from the social character of the labor which produced them.
Material objects become commodities only because they are the product of laborers working
individually from each other. It is only by being exchanged that the products of labor aquire
uniformity of values distinct from their utility-producing or phyiscal properties. Thus, man-made
material goods are artificially given a 'life' of their own ,i.e. value seemingly inherent in them.
SECRETS OF THE REPRODUCTION
The commodity can only be understood in its undistorted essence when it becomes the universal category of society as a whole. Only in this context does the reification produced by commodity relations assume decisive importance both for the objective evolution of society and for the stance adopted by men towards it. Only then does the commodity become crucial for the subjugation of men's consciousness to the forms in which this reification finds expression.... As labor is progressively rationalized and mechanized man's lack of will is reinforced by the way in which his activity becomes less and less active and more and more contemplative.
Lukacs, History and Class Consciousness
Marx was right
OF DAILY LIFE
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Just in Case you hadn't figured that out yet
WORKERS AND THE CRISIS
OF GLOBALIZATION
WORKERS AND THE CRISIS
OF GLOBALIZATION
THE ECLIPSE
AND RE-EMERGENCE OF COMMUNISM
REVOLUTIONARY UNIONISM
ANARCHISM & SYNDICALISM
WORKERS COUNCILS
BEYOND TRADE UNIONISM
LEFT WING
POLITICAL ECONOMY
THE NEW IMPERIALISM
TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS AND FREE TRADE
THE GENERAL STRIKE
Historical articles on the General Strike, current and past.
Also see Labour History and The World Is Our Picket Line for more on labour struggles around the world past and present.
WORKERS RESISTANCE
ON THE GLOBALIZED INFOBAHN
ANTI-CAPITAL RESOURCES
Last Updated 12/08/97
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