rotenotes @rotenotes@qoto.org

“I want a busy life, a just mind and a timely death.”
― Zora Neale #Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road

“#Prayer seems to me a cry of weakness, and an attempt to avoid, by trickery, the rules of the game as laid down. I do not choose to admit weakness. I accept the challenge of responsibility. #Life, as it is, does not frighten me, since I have made my peace with the universe as I find it, and bow to its laws. The ever-sleepless sea in its bed, crying out “how long?” to Time; million-formed and never motionless flame; the contemplation of these two aspects alone, affords me sufficient food for ten spans of my expected lifetime. It seems to me that organized creeds are collections of words around a wish. I feel no need for such. However, I would not, by word or deed, attempt to deprive another of the consolation it affords. It is simply not for me. Somebody else may have my rapturous glance at the archangels. The springing of the yellow line of morning out of the misty deep of dawn, is glory enough for me. I know that nothing is destructible; things merely change forms. When the consciousness we know as life ceases, I know that I shall still be part and parcel of the world. I was a part before the sun rolled into shape and burst forth in the glory of change. I was, when the earth was hurled out from its fiery rim. I shall return with the earth to Father Sun, and still exist in substance when the sun has lost its fire, and disintegrated into infinity to perhaps become a part of the whirling rubble of space. Why fear? The stuff of my being is #matter, ever changing, ever moving, but never lost; so what need of denominations and creeds to deny myself the comfort of all my fellow men? The wide belt of the universe has no need for finger-rings. I am one with the infinite and need no other assurance.”
― Zora Neale #Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road

“The #present was an egg laid by the #past that had the #future inside its shell.”
― Zora Neale #Hurston

“#Gods always behave like the people who make them.”
― Zora Neale #Hurston, Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica

#communism/#Marx: collective regulation of production by freely associated independent producers

Η αγία οικογένεια (Άννα Β.)

https://rotenotes.wordpress.com/2024/02/01/%ce%b7-%ce%b1%ce%b3%ce%af%ce%b1-%ce%bf%ce%b9%ce%ba%ce%bf%ce%b3%ce%ad%ce%bd%ce%b5%ce%b9%ce%b1-%ce%ac%ce%bd%ce%bd%ce%b1-%ce%b2/

Ανάρτηση πανό αλληλεγγύης στους 5 Κούρδους πολιτικούς πρόσφυγες-απεργούς πείνας στο ΠΡΟΚΕΚΑ Ξάνθης και στον πολιτικό κρατούμενο Αμπντουλάχ Οτσαλάν | Rise Up 4 Rojava

https://rotenotes.wordpress.com/2023/12/30/%ce%b1%ce%bd%ce%ac%cf%81%cf%84%ce%b7%cf%83%ce%b7-%cf%80%ce%b1%ce%bd%cf%8c-%ce%b1%ce%bb%ce%bb%ce%b7%ce%bb%ce%b5%ce%b3%ce%b3%cf%8d%ce%b7%cf%82-%cf%83%cf%84%ce%bf%cf%85%cf%82-5-%ce%ba%ce%bf%cf%8d%cf%81/

“You say some Greek philosophers could dazzle their audiences
with their riddles? That does not interest me at all. Bring
more wine instead and play your lute; your changes in tones
remind me of the wind that rushes past and disappears,
just like us.” —Omar #Khayyám

“Μην αμφιβάλλεις
γι αυτόν
που σου λέει
πως φοβάται

να φοβάσαι όμως
αυτόν
που σου λέει
πως δεν αμφιβάλλει

- Erich #Fried, “#Αμφιβολία και #Φόβος” —Erich Fried

And the times become ripe for the emergence of one of the
most influential abstractions of the modern age—the notion that the
relations between men as mutually interdependent producers of
commodities somehow lie at the basis of all their other social
relations. The Classical labour theory of value was closely associated
with this notion. If we regard society as consisting in essence of an
association of separate producers who live by mutually exchanging the
products of their different labours, we are likely to come to think of
the exchange of these products as being in essence the exchange /of
quantities of social labour. /And if we begin thinking in these terms,
we may well eventually conclude that the /value /of a commodity—i.e.,
its power of purchasing or commanding other commodities in exchange-is a
quality conferred upon it by virtue of the fact that a certain portion of
the labour force of society has been allocated to its production.
[Ronald L. #Meek - Studies in the #Labour Theory of #Value (1956; second edition 1973), p. 39]

Using surplus value, one of the key
concepts of /Capital/, as the central organizing principle of Marx’s
analysis of capitalism, we can think of the three volumes of /Capital
/as dealing with, respectively,^16

* the generation and accumulation of surplus value (Volume I);

* the realization of surplus value (Volume II);

* the distribution of surplus value (Volume III).

[...]

In this chapter, we begin the study of Marx’s political economy of
capitalism by working through the details of the argument in Volume 1 of
/Capital /(Marx, 1992). We know from the discussion in the previous
chapter that Volume 1 of Capital (Marx, 1992) is devoted to a study of
the process of production of capital. Using the key concept of surplus
value, we can restate the object of investigation in Volume 1 as the
/generation /and /accumulation /of surplus value. To understand capital,
one needs to understand surplus value – because capital generates and is
generated by surplus value. But, to understand surplus value, one needs
to first understand value; and to understand value, one needs to
understand the commodity. That is the reason why the analysis in Volume 1
of /Capital /begins with the commodity, which Marx identifes as the
‘elementary form’ of wealth in capitalist societies. [DB-LC, 48]

[Deepankar #Basu - The Logic of #Capital: An Introduction to #Marxist #Economic Theory](https://www.google.gr/books/edition/The_Logic_of_Capital/E_A-EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)

(https://people.umass.edu/dbasu/Papers/IITG-21Feb-2022.pdf)

-----------------------------------------
Lewis #Hine
Steelworker standing on beam
1931
© George Eastman House

[Juliana Daugherty ~ Light - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rUGwXtj3B0&list=UULF-cSXjGlG90Gw8VDTwsL06g&index=17)

My inquiry led me to the conclusion that neither legal relations nor
political forms could be comprehended whether by themselves or on the
basis of a so-called general development of the human mind, but that on
the contrary they originate in the material conditions of life, the
totality of which Hegel, following the example of English and French
thinkers of the eighteenth century embraces within the term ‘civil
society’; that the anatomy of this civil society, however, has to be
sought in political economy. (#Marx, 1976, p. 20)

#base-superstracture

[Roman Rozdolsky - The Making of Marx's 'Capital'.](https://gruppegrundrisse.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/rosdolsky-the-making-of-marxs-capital_cs.pdf)

[RR-TMMC, 533-35]

Ο Μαρξ ρωτά πώς μπορούμε να προσδιορίσουμε την εργασία ως ουσία της αξίας εάν, στην πραγματικότητα, κάθε συγκεκριμένη εργασία εξυπηρετεί διαφορετικό στόχο και
εκτελείται από διαφορετικά άτομα διαφορετικών ικανοτήτων, δεξιοτήτων κ.λπ.; Πως
μπορεί η άπειρη ποικιλία των διαφορετικών ειδών επαγγελματικών και
ατομικών εργασιών να περιοριστεί σε ένα κοινό παρονομαστή; Η απάντησή του είναι ότι αυτό
είναι δυνατό: «Όσο ποικίλα τα χρήσιμα είδη εργασίας, ή οι
παραγωγικές δραστηριότητες, είναι ένα /φυσιολογικό/ δεδομενο, ότι είναι
λειτουργίες του ανθρώπινου οργανισμού, και ότι κάθε τέτοια λειτουργία, όποια κι αν
μπορεί να είναι η φύση ή η μορφή τους, είναι ουσιαστικά η δαπάνη του ανθρώπινου
εγκέφαλου, νεύρων, μυών και αισθητηρίων οργάνων.» [Κεφάλαιο Ι, σελ. 164 (71)]
[RR-TMMC, 533]

Στην πραγματικότητα,
ωστόσο, είδαμε μόνο το πρώτο μέρος της λύσης του Μαρξ για το
πρόβλημα μέχρι στιγμής, καθώς, αν και η εργασία μπορεί να μειωθεί, φυσιολογικά,
στην απλή δαπάνη εργατικής δύναμης σε κάθε κοινωνία, τέτοια
μείωση είναι μόνο απαραίτητη στην πράξη και στην πραγματικότητα λαμβάνει χώρα σε ένα συγκεκριμένο στάδιο της ιστορικής εξέλιξης. Αυτό συμβαίνει μόνο σε μια
κοινωνία ιδιοκτητών εμπορευμάτων όπου η ανταλλαγή αποτελεί τη μοναδική οικονομική
σύνδεση μεταξύ ατόμων και, κατά συνέπεια, όπου τα εμπορεύματα
θεωρούνται ως προϊόντα μέσης, αδιαφοροποίητης εργασίας –
«ανεξάρτητα από τη μορφή της δαπάνης της». [Κεφάλαιο Ι, σελ. 128 (38)]
[RR-TMMC, 534]

Ωστόσο, αυτό δεν απαιτεί μηχανική μέτρηση της φυσιολογικής
δαπάνης εργατικής δύναμης, αφού είναι η ίδια η κοινωνία, η αυθόρμητη
κοινωνική διαδικασία «πίσω από τις πλάτες των παραγωγών», που εξισώνει τις
διάφορες μορφές εργασίας στην αγορά και τις μειώνει στο μέσο όρο
«κοινωνικά αναγκαία» εργασία. [πάνω σελ. 525 επ.]
Από την άλλη πλευρά, η «ισότητα της
ανθρώπινης εργασίας σε μια τέτοια κοινωνία αποκτά μια «υλική μορφή. . . στην
ίση αντικειμενικότητα των προϊόντων της εργασίας ως αξιών»,
[Κεφάλαιο Ι, σελ. 164 (72)] και μόνο σε
μια τέτοια κοινωνία κάνει «μια καθορισμένη κοινωνική σχέση μεταξύ των ανθρώπων. . . να παίρνει
τη φανταστική μορφή μιας σχέσης μεταξύ πραγμάτων». [RR-TMMC, 534]

Ποια συμπεράσματα μπορούν να εξαχθούν από αυτή τη σύντομη σύνοψη της θεωρίας του Μαρξ της
αξίας? Σαφώς ότι είναι αδύνατο να αναγνωριστεί η αποκλειστικά κοινωνική
σημασία της αξίας, εκτός εάν θεωρηθεί ιστορικό
φαινόμενο' και ότι είναι εξίσου αδύνατο να αρνηθεί κανείς τον ιστορικό
χαρακτήρα της αξίας χωρίς να δεί σε αυτήν μια «ποιότητα ανάλογη με το βάρος
ή το χρώμα», δηλαδή μια «τεχνική» κατηγορία.

Αυτό παρέχει την εξήγηση για το γιατί η θεωρία του Μαρξ παρερμηνεύτηκε
[535] τόσο συχνά
από τους επικριτές του. Ανίκανοι να συλλάβουν τον ουσιαστικά
ιστορικό χαρακτήρα των οικονομικών κατηγοριών, απλώς συμπεραίνουν: Αν
υπάρχει κάτι όπως η «αξία», τότε πρέπει να είναι η φυσική (physical) ή η φυσική (natural)
ποιότητα των εμπορευμάτων. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο δεν ασκούν κριτική στον Μαρξ, αλλά
τη δική τους στενά νατουραλιστική αντίληψη! [RR-TMMC, 534-35]

#Marx asks, how can we designate #labour as the substance of #value if, in
actual fact, each concrete labour serves a different aim, and is
performed by different individuals of differing ability, skill etc.? How
can the infinite variety of the different kinds of professional and
individual labour be reduced to a common denominator? His answer is that
it is possible: ‘However varied the useful kinds of labour, or
productive activities, it is a /physiological/ fact, that they are
functions of the human organism, and that each such function, whatever
may be its nature or its form, is essentially the expenditure of human
brain, nerves, muscles and sense-organs.’^14 [Capital I, p. 164 (71)]
[RR-TMMC, 533]

In fact,
however, we have only seen the first part of Marx’s solution to the
problem so far, since, although labour can be reduced, physiologically,
to the simple expenditure of labour-power in any society, such a
reduction is only necessary in practice and actually takes place at a
particular stage of historical development. This only occurs in a
society of commodity owners where exchange constitutes the sole economic
connection between individuals, and consequently where commodities are
to be regarded as products of average, undifferentiated labour –
‘without regard to the form of its expenditure’.^15 [Capital I, p. 128 (38)]
[RR-TMMC, 534]

However, this requires no mechanical measure of the physiological
expenditure of labour-power, since it is society itself, the spontaneous
social process ‘behind the backs of the producers’, which equates the
various forms of labour on the market and reduces them to average
‘socially necessary’ labour.^16 [above p.  525ff]
On the other hand, the ‘equality of
human labour’ in such a society obtains a ‘material form . . . in the
equal objectivity of the products of labour as values’,^17
[Capital I, p.  164 (72)] and only in
such a society does ‘a definite social relation between men . . . assume
the fantastic form of a relation between things’. [RR-TMMC, 534]

What conclusions can be drawn from this short resume of Marx’s theory of
value? Clearly that it is impossible to recognise the exclusively social
significance of value, unless it is regarded as an historical
phenomenon; and that it is equally impossible to deny the historical
character of value without seeing in it a ‘quality analogous to weight
or colour’, i.e. a ‘technical’ category.

This provides the explanation as to why Marx’s theory has been
[535] so often
misinterpreted by his critics. Incapable of grasping the essentially
historical character of economic categories, they simply deduce: If
there is such a thing as ‘value’, then it must be a physical or natural
quality of commodities. In this way it is not Marx they criticise, but
their own narrowly naturalistic conception! [RR-TMMC, 534-35]

Artwork: [Le Déjeuner des canotiers
Artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Year 1881[1]
Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions 129.9 cm × 172.7 cm (51 in × 68 in)
Location The Phillips Collection[2], Washington, DC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luncheon_of_the_Boating_Party)
(Pierre-Auguste_Renoir_-_Luncheon_of_the_Boating_Party_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)

Ο #Αριστοτέλης αναγνωρίζει 4 είδη #αρετής:

– #Φρόνηση (#prudence) (αιτία του πράττειν ορθώς τα πράγματα)
– #Δικαιοσύνη (#justice) (του εν κοινωνιαις εν συνναλλαγμασι δικαιοπραγειν)
– #Ανδρεία (#valor) (του εν κινδύνοις και φοβεροις μη εξιστασθαι τρειν (δειλιασει και φύγει), αλλά μένειν
– #Σωφροσύνη (#temperance) (κραττείν των επιθυμιών και υπο μηδεμιας ηδονής δουλούσθαι, αλλά κοσμίως ζην.

#Aristotle #virtues #ethics #politics

[Marx's Capital TOC](https://rotenotes.neocities.org/)
[Reading Marx’s Capital | social and political theory](https://volontegenerale.wordpress.com/2023/10/30/reading-marxs-capital/)

[translate in english and expand on "η υπεραξία και το κερδος δεν απλα οικονομικο-φιλοσοφικες εννοιες' εχουν και μαθηματικη σχεση μεταξυ τους.... κερδος = υπεραξία / μεταβλητο κεφαλαιο(μισθοι που αγοραζουν δημιουργουσα αξια αρα και υπεραξια ζωντανη εργατικη ικανοτητα ή δυναμη) και σταθερο κεφαλαιο (αντικειμενοποιημενη/νεκρη εργασια)"
ChatGPT

The term "η υπεραξία και το κέρδος δεν απλά είναι οικονομικο-φιλοσοφικές έννοιες" translates to "surplus value and profit are not just economic-philosophical concepts."

The statement goes on to establish a mathematical relationship between these concepts: "κέρδος = υπεραξία / μεταβλητό κεφάλαιο (μισθοί που αγοράζουν δημιουργούν δημιουργική αξία, άρα και υπεραξία, ζωντανή εργατική ικανότητα ή δύναμη) και σταθερό κεφάλαιο (αντικειμενοποιημένη/νεκρή εργασία)."

In English, this can be expanded as follows:

"The concepts of surplus value and profit extend beyond mere economic and philosophical notions. They can be understood through a mathematical relationship: profit equals surplus value divided by variable capital (wages that purchase productive labor, hence generating surplus value from living labor power or capability), and constant capital (objectified/dead labor)."

This statement highlights the interconnectedness of economic and philosophical ideas with mathematical formulations, emphasizing the intricate relationship between labor, value creation, and profitability. It underscores the importance of recognizing the mathematical underpinnings of economic concepts for a more comprehensive understanding of their implications.]

[translate in english and write an essay in english for "στον 1ο τομο του Κεφαλαιου αντικειμενο ειναι η παραγωγη υπεραξιας . στο 2ο τομο ειναι η πραγματοποίση της υπεραξίας στην κυκλοφορια (των εμπορευματων). στον 3ο τομο ειναι η κατανομη της υπεραξίας: σε (βιομηχανικο/εμπορικο) κερδος, σε τοκο (επι καποιου κεφαλαιου: παραγωγικου (profit of enterprise) η/και χρηματικου: interest), σε γαιοπροσοδο (rent) ....πριν απο αυτο βρισκεται η μετατροπη της υπεραξίας σε κερδος και των αξιων σε τιμες παραγωγης (prices of production): μεσω αυτης της μετατροπης κρυβεται η εκμεταλλευτικη σχεση, γιατι ετσι το κερδος φαινεται να προκύπτει τοσο απο το μεταβλητο οσο και απο το σταθερο κεφαλαιο, κατι που παιρνει την πιο μυστικοποιμενη μορφη της υπεραξίας στον τοκο (interest: Χρήμα-Χρήμα’ με Χ’>Χ) (οπου η διαμεσολαβηση απο την παραγωγικη εργασια [Εργατικη δύναμη/Μεσα παραγωγης / Εμπορευματων (Χ-Ε-Χ’)] στη διαδικασια αξιοποιησης του κεφαλαιου εχει χαθει)”
ChatGPT

Title: Marx's Analysis of Surplus Value and Capital Circulation

In the first volume of "Capital," Karl Marx delves into the fundamental concept of surplus value production. He meticulously dissects the process through which capital accumulates, revealing the intricate dynamics underlying capitalist economies. Moving forward to the second volume, Marx shifts his focus towards the realization of surplus value within the sphere of circulation, predominantly within the realm of commodities.

The third volume marks a crucial juncture in Marx's exploration, as it centers on the distribution of surplus value. This distribution occurs across various channels, including industrial and commercial profits, interest on capital (both productive, categorized as profit of enterprise, and monetary, recognized as interest), and land rent. These distinct avenues elucidate the multifaceted nature of surplus value's dispersion within the capitalist system.

Preceding this comprehensive analysis is the transformation of surplus value into profit and the conversion of values into production prices. Concealed within this transformation lies the exploitative relationship inherent in capitalist production. This transformation is pivotal in understanding the obscured form of surplus value, particularly in relation to interest.

Interest, represented as (Χ-Χ' with Χ'>Χ), encapsulates a critical aspect of this process. It signifies a departure from the direct involvement of productive labor (Labor Power / Means of Production / Commodities) in the capital utilization process. This shift highlights the evolution from a labor-centric production model to a more financially driven system.

Marx's exposition on these intricate stages provides a profound insight into the inner workings of capitalist economies. The transformation of surplus value into profit, and subsequently into interest, exemplifies the nuanced dynamics of exploitation within this economic framework. By unraveling these layers, Marx sheds light on the mechanisms that perpetuate the accumulation of capital and the perpetuation of class-based disparities.

In conclusion, Marx's trilogy of "Capital" offers a comprehensive framework for understanding the generation, realization, and distribution of surplus value within capitalist economies. The conversion of surplus value into profit and production prices unveils the veiled dimensions of exploitation, with interest serving as a critical intermediary. Through this meticulous analysis, Marx provides invaluable insights into the functioning of capitalist systems, contributing significantly to economic and philosophical discourse.]

Artwork: The Misers, by Q. Matsys (https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/108MHE)
1858
Caldesi & Montecchi (British, active 1850s)

Photograph of "The Misers," a painting by a follower of Marinus van Reymerswaele, but had at times been attributed to Quinten Metsys. The painting depicts two men, one of whom is pointing at a ledger in which his colleague is writing. Their wealth is represented by their rich clothing, as well as through the gold coins and jewelry on the table in front of them.

“I see a horseman disappearing into
the evening mist. Will he travel through woods
or across wild plains? Where is he heading? I don't know.
Tomorrow, will I be stretched out above or
below the earth? I don't know.”

― Omar #Khayyám, Edward Fitzgerald's The #Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam