List of forms of value

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Karl Marx presented a number of different value forms in his work Das Kapital , published in 1867 , in order to derive the money form in the course of the value form analysis based on the double form of goods as a natural form and a value form .

Natural form and value form

The use value of a commodity is its natural form .

Example: iron, canvas, wheat, etc.

The exchange value or in short: the value of a commodity is its value form .

Value relationships

Marx writes

"That goods are only valuable insofar as they are expressions of the same social unit, human labor, that their objectivity is purely social, it goes without saying that they can only appear in the social relationship between goods and goods." 62)

Marx expresses value relationships between goods by means of one or more “equations”. In contrast to mathematical equations , which are symmetrical , alpha and beta have one equation for two goods

alpha = beta

only in quantitative terms has the same meaning as

beta = alpha,

but not in qualitative terms.

Simple (single, random) form of value

The simple form of value is expressed for two different types of goods, A and B:

x goods A = y goods B

for example:

20 yards of linen is worth 1 skirt .

Relative form of value (Form I)

A is in relative value form ( form I ), i.e. H. the value of A is represented in the natural form of B.

Equivalent form

B is in equivalent form , which means that it is directly interchangeable with product A.

Total or unfolded form of value

For a commodity A and all other commodities B, C, ... different from A, the total or expanded form of value is expressed by a series of equations:

z goods A = u goods B or = v goods C or = w goods D or = x goods E or = etc.

Example:

20 yards of linen = 1 skirt or = 10 pounds of tea or = 40 pounds of coffee or = 1 quarter of wheat or = 2 ounces of gold or = 1/2 ton of iron or = etc.

Developed relative form of value (Form II)

A is in the developed relative form of value ( form II ) because its value is represented in the natural forms of all other commodities. Marx notes:

“The value of a commodity, the canvas e.g. B., is now expressed in innumerable other elements of the commodity world. Every other commodity becomes a mirror of the canvas value. This is how this value itself truly appears as a jelly of indiscriminate human labor. For the work that forms it is now expressly represented as work that is indifferent to any other human work, whatever natural form it always has and whether it is therefore objectified in rock or wheat or iron or gold, etc. Because of its form of value, the canvas is now no longer socially related to just one other type of commodity, but to the world of commodities. As a commodity, it is a citizen of this world. At the same time lies in the endless series of his expressions that the value of a commodity is indifferent to the particular form of the use-value in which it appears. "(77)

Special equivalent form

Each one of the goods, e.g. B. B, is in a special equivalent form insofar as it is interchangeable with A as one of many other goods C, D ... According to Marx, this means

"Likewise, the various specific, concrete, useful types of work contained in the various commodities are now considered to be just as many special forms of realization or manifestations of human work par excellence." (78)

Defects in the total or developed form of value

The total value form consists of an infinite series of value expressions

z goods A = u goods B
z goods A = v goods C
z goods A = w goods D
z goods A = x goods E
z goods A = etc.

and does not yet have a uniform appearance. This deficiency leads to the fact that every single one of the equations can be reversed, because Marx states

"If a man exchanges his linen for many other commodities and therefore expresses their value in a number of other commodities, the many other commodity owners must necessarily also exchange their goods for linen and therefore express the values ​​of their various commodities in the same third commodity, in Canvas. "(79)

General form of value

The general form of value for a commodity A and the other commodities B, C, ... different from A are expressed by a series of equations:

u goods B = or v goods C = or w goods D = or x goods E = or etc. = z goods A.

General equivalent form (Form III)

Canvas is in the general equivalent form or form III because it is exchangeable for any other commodity.

Money form (form IV)

Marx writes:

“The general equivalent form is a form of value in general. So it can apply to any commodity. On the other hand, a commodity is only in the general equivalent form (form III) because and insofar as it is excluded as equivalent by all other commodities. And only from the moment when this exclusion is finally limited to a specific type of commodity does the uniform, relative value form of the commodity world gain objective stability and general social validity. The specific type of commodity, with whose natural form the equivalent form grows socially, becomes a money commodity or functions as money. "(83)

The money form ( form IV ) is expressed for the money commodity and the other goods B, C, ... other than money by a series of equations:

u commodity B = or v commodity C = or w commodity D = or x commodity E = or etc. = z commodity money.

Historically, gold has taken the place of money.

Instead of another product such as According to Marx, for example, the canvas has now "advanced" (84), that "the general equivalent form has now finally grown together through social habit with the specific natural form of the commodity gold." (84)

literature

Web links