Economics Questions

Re: Mean of Production

Laotzu del Zinn — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 08:52:26 GMT

Good point. I was thinking of Gulags

Re: Mean of Production

krazy kaju — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 03:27:53 GMT

"Epicurus" apparently cannot distinguish kulaks from gulags.

Re: Mean of Production

Stranger — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:27:34 GMT

The NEP was explicitly an anti-capitalist policy.

Re: Mean of Production

Felipe — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:57:24 GMT

I understand that the kulaks that rose after the NEP was implemented were pretty much individual farm owners.

Re: Mean of Production

Laotzu del Zinn — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:33:55 GMT

Terrible things. What does it have to do with whether or not farm collectivization in the USSR was collectivising peasants or individual farm owenrs?

Re: Mean of Production

Felipe — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:14:12 GMT

And what about the kulaks?

Re: Mean of Production

Laotzu del Zinn — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:45:22 GMT

If you're talking about farm collectivization in the USSR, those were (mostly) peasants. They were not individual farm owners.

Re: Mean of Production

Marko — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:24:51 GMT

That sounds like a very good explanation on the face of it, but when I think about it more, if it held then what would be the justification for farm collectivisation? Most farmers worked their land on their own jet it was taken away from them.

Re: Mean of Production

Stranger — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:35:16 GMT

I think the Marxist definition involves alienation from labor. If you hire someone to brush your teeth for you, and you provide the toothbrush, then the toothbrush is a mean of production.

Mean of Production

Marko — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:43:14 GMT

What is the definition of the means of production? Is it at all possible to separate property which falls under 'the means of production' from the property that does not count as such?

We have wants that we satisfy with goods. Everything which we own we own because it produces a good for us - if it did not we would abandon it. My toothbrush is an instrument of labour with which I create the good called 'clean teeth', is it not?

It would seem there is no distinction but wether the property in question can be used to produce a good for someone else than myself. My toothbrush can only be used to clean my teeth so I am welcome to it. But my garden could be used to grow vegetables for the Party officials therefore I better watch out.

What do you think?