The Most Recent Development of the Labor Theory of Value Abroad Since 1980s
XIE Fusheng;DENG Kewei;GUO Ziang;
Abstract:
Since the 1980s, discussions on the labor theory of value have continued to deepen within Marxist scholarship abroad, gradually forming two mainstream approaches: physicalist approach and value-form approach. Based on a systematic examination of Marx's texts, this article argues that the labor theory of value should contain three levels of essential determinations: first, at the level of the general commodity economy, it emphasizes the unity of the three categories of value substance, value quantity, and value form; second, at the level of the results of capitalist production, it emphasizes that individual commodities are the “aliquot part” of the total social product; and finally, at the level of the capitalist competitive process, it adheres to the principle that value is determined by the conditions of reproduction and the two aggregate equations of value transformation. However, the physicalist approach attempts to analyze capitalist production within the logic of general commodity economy, while the value-form approach separates the unity of value substance, value quantity, and value form. Neither approach has yet to offer an interpretation of the labor theory that fully aligns with Marx's original intention. The key to this theoretical breakthrough lies in two complementary paths. The introduction of Rubin's abstract labor interpretation into English-language scholarship in the 1970s provided a good starting point for effectively interpreting the first determination. The macro-monetary interpretation(MMI) formed in the 1990s successfully integrated the three determinations. While maintaining Marx's transformation method and aggregate equations, it pointed out a possible path for the development of contemporary labor value theory.
Key Words: TSSI;macro-monetary interpretation;value form;physicalism;Rubin
Foundation: 国家社会科学基金重大项目“中国特色社会主义政治经济学理论体系研究”(21&ZD070)的资助
Authors: XIE Fusheng;DENG Kewei;GUO Ziang;
References:
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- (1)斯蒂德曼([1977]1991)的价值方程等价于λ=λA+l,生产价格方程等价于pp=pp(A+bl)(1+r),符号含义同后文表2。 (2)新兴异端方法指维护价值概念质的一致性,而放弃维护量的一致性的方法,如本文将梳理的货币方法。 (3)鲁宾传统或鲁宾学派的理论和鲁宾本人的理论并不相同,后文将予以说明。 (4)单体系是指价值与价格互相影响,类似价值形式方法;双体系是指价值与价格体系互相独立,类似于物质主义方法。同期性指投入品和产出品的价值或价格不变,跨期性指投入品和产出品的价值或价格可以不相等。 (5)埃尔森(Elson,1979)区分了“劳动价值论”(the labour theory of value)和“劳动的价值理论”(the value theory of labour),指出前者强调“价值”,后者强调“劳动”。他认为马克思劳动价值论的研究中心并不是“价值”,而是“劳动”。“劳动”范畴是较“价值”范畴更为先行和根本的存在。马克思的价值论旨在说明劳动这一永恒范畴如何在资本主义社会中获得价值的属性,而非解释价值为何必须源于劳动。 (6)批判实在论是战后西方科学哲学界兴起的思潮,其本体论认为科学研究的对象具有三层结构:经验层、事实层和实在层(Fleetwood,2002)。经验层包含经感官中介的观察与感知,事实层则是独立于观察者之外发生的事件,实在层则涵盖驱动因果的深层结构、机制等。批判实在论强调实在层的结构与机制真实存在,但因干扰或“起反作用的各种原因”,很少直接显现在事实层中,更未必被经验层感知。 (7)《资本论》第三卷第十章讨论了商品需求不足情况下的市场价值和价格的决定问题,当需求远远小于供给时,市场价值由最优生产条件下产品的个别价值调节,市场价格低于市场价值。按照本例数值设定,布的供给为1200码但需求仅为800码,供大于求,那么布的市场价格起码应该低于2先令的市场价值。但在本例中,需求小于供给,作为资本主义生产结果的布的单位价值反而由2先令上升到3先令,这应该如何理解?一种可能的理解是认为《结果》仍在讨论资本一般,尚未引入资本竞争,所以供大于求时不存在资本间的竞争性压价,而整体资本又要求从这800码布中获得全部的120镑的总价值,因此作为资本主义生产结果的单位商品价值就上升了。 (8)Foley(2000)认为,只要SSI将劳动的货币表示确定为净产品的货币价格与所耗费的活劳动的比例,那么单体系解释与新解释就是一致的。 (9)并非所有的物质主义方法都明确讨论了重置成本和历史成本的区别,只有明确了前者的条件下定义的技术矩阵,物质主义方法才能符合这一规定。 (10)尽管新解释将货币与价值建立联系的做法受到了批评(Fine et al.,2004),其影响力仍十分广泛,在新解释的框架下,国外学者亦提出了一些改进的转形解法,如Loranger(2004)。 (11)对这一问题的探讨可参见中谷(Nakatani,2005)和莫亨(Mohun,2004)。 (12)在德、法、日三国学者之外,格特·罗滕(Geert Reuten)和以克里斯托弗·亚瑟(Christopher Arthur)为代表的“体系辩证法”学派亦同样重视价值形式方法,但未见持有“交换创造价值”或“货币即价值”的激进观点。 (13)此处“元素”意义类似经济学中的行动者(agent),参见贝内蒂和卡特里埃(Benetti and Cartelier,2013)。 (14)鲁宾仅参考了《政治经济学批判》《资本论》和《剩余价值理论》,他可能并未得见20世纪30年代初出版的《结果》手稿,也并未对《资本论》第三卷第205页中的先总体后个体的思想进行评论。 (15)埃尔森(Elson,1979)认为鲁宾将价值与交换价值等量齐观,这可能是大量西方学者将鲁宾视为价值形式方法先驱的原因。但也有学者强调鲁宾理论的物质主义色彩,如德赛(Desai,1988)以及金蒂斯和鲍尔斯(Gintis and Bowles,1981)。
- XIE Fusheng
- DENG Kewei
- GUO Ziang
- National Research Centre for Political Eeonomy of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
- Renmin University of China
- School of Economics
- Renmin University of China
- XIE Fusheng
- DENG Kewei
- GUO Ziang
- National Research Centre for Political Eeonomy of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
- Renmin University of China
- School of Economics
- Renmin University of China