[Xmca-l] Re: Does an exchange generate a profit?

[Greg Thompson]

Harshad,
What is meant by "profit"? Is this defined simply as "mutual beneficence"
or is it something more like "surplus value" or even "surplus capital"?

What you describe Harshad is precisely what Adam Smith describes and what
becomes the basis for the ethical argument for capitalism - the truck,
barter, and trade that is mutually beneficial. Marx says "yes, but...
(power)".

David Kirshner, I love your suggestion about the importance of familial
relations, but I wonder if you would limit familial relations in the
traditional way it is often limited in the West to biological relations?

Or might you and I be family?

-greg



On Fri, May 24, 2019 at 10:41 AM David H Kirshner <dkirsh@lsu.edu> wrote:

> Yes, according to two criteria:
>
>
>
> 1. The time/labor taken by one party to produce the exchange unit exceeds
> that of the other party who can then be said to be making a profit.
>
> 2. Production time is equal, but capital investment / skill level training
> demanded by one party exceeds that of the other who therefore can be seen
> as profiting off the investment of the other.
>
>
>
> Along with the original question
>
> “Does this exchange process have possibility to generate a profit on
> either side?”
>
> One might also ask,
>
> “What determines if this exchange is perceived by either party as being an
> unequal exchange (i.e., as yielding a profit for one party)?”
>
>
>
> A critical element is history: If one party demands an increase from what
> has historically been the exchange rate, this might be seen by the other
> party as reaping unfair profits.
>
>
>
> I think the only way to avoid the possibility of perceptions of unfairness
> is when familial relations exist between the two parties, and the wellbeing
> of each to the other is as important as the wellbeing of self.
>
>
>
> An alternative/variation of this at the societal level is an established
> class ideology in which unequal benefit is seen as natural and/or as
> necessary.
>
>
>
> Wish I knew more about this, and hope others will enlighten.
>
>
>
> David
>
>
>
> *From:* xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu> *On
> Behalf Of *Harshad Dave
> *Sent:* Friday, May 24, 2019 8:23 AM
> *To:* eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
> *Subject:* [Xmca-l] Does an exchange generate a profit?
>
>
>
> Hi,
>
> Here I present one example.
>
> There is a fisherman living in a habitation. Generally, he catches fishes
> and exchanges part of the quantity against wheat with a farmer living in
> the habitation.
>
> “Does this exchange process have possibility to generate a profit on
> either side?”
>
> Harshad Dave
>
> .
>


-- 
Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
880 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
WEBSITE: greg.a.thompson.byu.edu
http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson
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