Re: [xmca] déjatel¹ nost¹

I think the two things at play are:

(1) The "cell" or conception of the science as the essence
problem underlying a series of inter-related problems in a
certain domain of experience, and
(2) The "real premises", or the conception the researcher
has of the underlying reality.

In "rising from the abstract to the concrete" the point is
to reconstruct the concrete as a concentration of
abstractions, one of which is the commodity relation. Sure,
if you want to understand *everything* then many conceptions
will be necessary. But Marx only set out to understand
capital. If you want to understand ovarian cancer or Hindu
sculpture, the commodity relation will not be sufficient.

Apologies for my carelessness in talking of the commodity
relation as "commodity". And enjoy yourselves in San Diego.

Andy

Martin Packer wrote:
> On 9/3/08 10:57 AM, "Andy Blunden" <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:
>
>> So the cell of bourgeois society and its "unit of analysis"
>> is *not* a commodity, but the commodity relation.
>
> OK, Andy. But it was you who first said:
>
> "Marx applied the idea to political economy and came up with
> the *Commodity*, as the simplest relation of bourgeois
> society and the simplest unit of capital."
>
> I think we both agree that a commodity *is* a relation, *and* a process. It
> *appears* to be merely a thing, but analysis shows that it is much more than
> this. But I would still argue that analysis shouldn't be conducted on the
> 'unit' in isolation, but as it participates in something larger.
>
> Martin
>
>
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Andy Blunden http://home.mira.net/~andy/ +61 3 9380 9435 
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Hegel's Logic with a Foreword by Andy Blunden:
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