I thought it advisable to post the flashcards that I published on Quizlet since, at one point not long ago, Quizlet was not functioning. The formatting is not the best, but it will have to do.
I will try to post the url or website address of the flashcards one week, then post something else the following week, and then post the flashcards in a post the next week, etc.
I have created a set of flashcards for the section of Marx’s Capital as specified in the title (see ).
If there are any corrections or suggestions to improve the flashcards, please comment on this post.
Here they are (when copying and pasting, the computer reproduced the word “image” after each flashcard):
1
The individual commodity appears as the e________________ f__________ of the w______ of capitalist societies.
elementary; form; wealth
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2
The Wealth of societies in which the capitalist mode of production prevails appears as ‘an immense collection of c__________________.”
commodities.
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3
Marx’s presentation of his investigation begins with a synthesis/analysis of the commodity.
analysis
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4
A commodity is a thing (or service) which, because of its _________________, satisfies human needs of whatever kind.
qualities
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5
Does the nature of the needs–from b___________________ need or socio-p____________ need–change the nature of the commodity as commodity?
biological; socio-psychological; no
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6
Does the manner of satisfying a given need (whether d______________ as means of c________________) or i_____________________ as means of p___________________ change the nature of the commodity as commodity?
directly; consumption; indirectly; production; no
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7
The first aspect of the analysis of a commodity is the establishment of a relation between the n______________ of human beings and the q___________ of an object (or service) to satisfy those needs.
needs; quality(ies)
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8
Marx shifts from considering the relation of human needs to the q____________ of an object (or service) to the relation, of the many q_______________ of an object (or service) to human needs–an i________ relation of q_______________ to q_______________.
quality; qualities; initial; quality;quanity [the last two may be reversed in order and still be correct).
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9
A given object (or service) can be useful in various w_________ because of its many q______________.
ways; qualities
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10
Every useful thing (or service) may be looked at from the two points of view of q_____________ and q_________________.
quality; quantity
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11
The qualities of an object (or service) may/may not be immediately useful, depending on the nature of the object.
may or may not
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12
If the object is not immediately useful, it may become useful through the process of human life, i.e., through h______________.
history
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13
Another result of the process of human life (history) is the creation of s____________ r_____________ s_______________of m__________________ for the quantities of useful objects.
socially; recognized; standards; measurement
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14
The diversity of the socially recognized standards of measurement for useful objects is a function, in part, of the d____________ nature of the objects and, in part, a function of social c_______________.
diversity; convention
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15
If a thing is useful, then it becomes a u_______________.
use-value
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16
It is by virtue of what that an object or thing (or service) is a use-value in relation to n____________.
by virtue of its qualities; needs
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17
To be a use-value, then, a commodity must, because of its q______________ or p______________, satisfy human n_____________ in some fashion.
qualities; properties; needs
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18
If an object is not useful at present, it may become useful in the future, and is thus p_____________________ a use-value.
potentially
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19
If an object has many properties or qualities, and is useful at present in a specific way due to the use of a certain subset of its properties or qualities, it may become a use-value later on if a different way, and is thus p_____________ useful in m________ ways.
potentially; many
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20
Is something a use-value without the presence of humans and their needs?
No.
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21
Even if humans did not exist, would objects be potentially usef-values?
Yes.
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22
Some use-values, such as air, require no social development. Others do. Provide an example.
Many possible answers; one possible answer is silicon, which became useul with the social development of computers and the production of semi-conductors.
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23
Objects have i________________ qualities or properties, but an object is a use-value only if those qualities are u____________in some way.
intrinsic; useful
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24
Does the use-value of an object (or service) exist independently of its physical (or chemical or biological) properties?
No.
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25
The use-value or usefulness of a thing depends on/does not depend on the amount of labour required to produce it?
does not depend on
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26
What, in addition to being in a form useful to human beings, do use-values need to be actual use values?
They need to be consumed or used.
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27
Use-values constitute the m_________________ content of w_____________, whatever its social form may be.
material; wealth
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28
Use-values, in a capitalist society, are the m_____________ bearers of (exchange-) value.
material
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29
Exchange-value appears at first as a qualitative/quantitative relation, the p_________ in which use-values of one k__________ exchange for use-values of a____________ kind.
proportion; kind; another
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30
Does the exchange-value of a commodity change with time and place?
Yes.
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31
If exchange-value, or the proportion in which objects exchange, changes with time and place, does it seem that there is an intrinsic exchange-value? Explain.
No, since an intrinsic property does not change with time and place.
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32
If a given quantity of a commodity, say 2 metric tons of wheat, is exchanged for certain quantities of many other use-values, say 1 metric ton of iron, 3 kilos of silk or 3 grams of gold, then the respective quantities and kinds of commodities exchanged for the 2 metric tons of wheat represent one/many exchange value(s) of 2 metric tons of wheat.
many
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33
If the p________________ of certain commodities are exchanged for the same quantity of a given commodity (say 2 metric tons of wheat), then they all are e___________________ for each other, or mutually replaceable in those same proportions and be of the same/different magnitude.
proportions; exchangeable; same
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34
On the basis of the mutual exchangeabilty of exchange values of a given commodity that have the same magnitude, it follows that the exchange values of a given commodity express something unequal/equal.
equal
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35
On the basis of the mutual exchangeabilty of exchange values of a given commodity that have the same magnitude, it follows that exchange value is a mode of e___________________ or f____________ of a______________ of a content that is distinguishable from that mode, that is to say, is/is not reducible to that mode.
expression; form; appearance; is not
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36
Marx shifts from a consideration of one/many exchange values to one/exchange value.
many/one
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37
The shift from many exchanges values of a given commodity to one exchange value is linked to the concpet of unequal/equal exchange, which had been identified before as what the valid exchange values of a commodity express.
equal
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38
When equating one commodity to another, both commodities possess a c__________ or i____________ element with the same/different magnitude in same/different forms, with each commodity having the same/a different exchange-value
common; identical; same; different; different
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39
The different forms have equal content and equal magnitude, but since they are different forms of the same content and magnitude, each are/are not reducible to either form
are not
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40
To the extent that two commodities are in a relation of equivalence or equality in an exchange, they are equal to and, as exchange values, r____________ to a t________ that is identical/different from each of them in relation to their particular forms.
reducible; different
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41
The common third something cannot be physical, chemical or biological since these aspects of reality concern the u_____________ of commodities, and exchange value involves a_______________ from (or neglecting or not taking into consideration) use-values.
use-values; abstracting
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42
In the exchange relation, one use value counts as equal/unequal to another use value if there is a sufficient a___________ of it.
equal; amount
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43
As use values, commodities differ q__________________; as exchange values, commodities differ q______________________.
qualitatively; quantitatively
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44
As exchange values, commodities do not c______________ an a_______ of use-values.
contain; atom
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45
If the use-values are disregarded, there is only one property of commodities that remains–the commodities are all products of human l_________..
labour
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46
If all commodities as exchange values are the result of human labour that does not result in specific use-values, then the labour that produces (exchange-)value also involves abstraction or disregard for the c__________ forms of labour that produce u_______________.
concrete; use-values
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47
All p__________________ aspects of the labour process and its components are disregarded or abstracted from.
perceptible
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48
All commodities, as exchange-values, are products of concrete/abstract human labour
abstract.
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49
Commodities considered as results of abstract human labour are v_______________, which is a ________l substance that is accumulated in the commodity.
values; social
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50
As values, commodities are ghostly objects since they are not/are perceptible to the senses in the immediate use value of the commodity.
are not
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51
Marx, after referring to value as the common objectiied substance of commodities, then considers value in relation to/not in relation to its form of appearance (that is to say, in an exchange relation as exchange value).
not in relation to
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52
Marx, after referring to value as the substance of value and abstracting, provisionally, from the form of appearance in an exchange relation as exchange value, then considers the m________________ of value.
magnitude
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53
How is the magnitude of value measured?
By the quantity of labour required for its production
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54
How is the quantity of labour required for the production of value measured?
By its duration, measured in minutes, days, hours, etc.
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55
If a commodity is produced which has 10 hours of concrete labour expended on it, is its value necessarily measured by 10 hours of abstract labour? Explain.
No. The labour required to produce value is socially necessary labour, and its duration is defined by what is socially necessary to produce value (and a unit of what is produced–say a can or bottle of beer). Ten hours of concrete labour may be more or less than what is required to produce value (and a unit of a commodity) at the social level.
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56
What three factors (among others) determine socially necessary labour time? 1. m_______________; 2. s___________; 3. i____________
machinery; skill; intensity
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57
The total amount of labour power expended in production counts as one h_____________ or u_____________ mass of labour expended to produce the world of commodities, and each unit of that total amount counts as the same fraction of that total amount provided that it forms the socially average amount of labour required to produce commodities.
homogenous; uniform
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58
Commodities which have the same amount of socially necessary labour expended to produce them have equal/unequal value.
equal
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59
Commodities which have different amounts of socially necessary labour expended to produce them have equal/unequal value
unequal
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60
The value of a commodity would not change if the amount of socially necessary did/did not change.
did not
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61
Changes in the amount of socially necessary labour required to produce a unit of a commodity varies with the p_________________ of concrete labour.
productivity
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62
The productivity of labour varies according to at least seven determinants or factors or aspects of the labour process: 1. the workers’ average degree of ______________; 2. the level of development of _________________; 3. the level of ________________ ________________ of science; 4. the ____________ ________________ of the production process; 5. the _________________ of the means of production; 6. the _________________ of the means of production; and 7. the ________________ found in the natural environment.
Choices: extent; development; conditions; skill; technological application; effectiveness; social organization
1. skill; 2. development; 3. technological application; 4. social organization; 5. extent (or effectiveness); 6. effectiveness (or extent); 7. conditions
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63
The greater the productivity of labour, the less/more labour time required to produce an article, the less/more the value of the commodity.
less; less
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64
The less the productivity of labour, the less/more labour time required to produce an article, the less/more the value of the commodity.
more; more
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65
The value of a commodity varies directly/inversely as to its quantity.
directly
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66
The value of a commodity varies directly/inversely as to its productivity. Explain.
inversely; An increase in the productivity of labour results in a decrease in the value of a commodity; a decrease in the productivity of labour results in an increase in the value of a commodity.
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67
Marx states that he has analyzed the substance and the magnitude of value. What still has to be analyzed?
The form of value, which converts value into exchange value.
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68
Can a thing be a use value without being a value? Give an example.
Yes. Air is useful, but it is not mediated by labour.
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69
Can a thing be a use value and a product of labour without being a commodity? Give an example.
Yes. Making dinner at home–the result is not a commodity.
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70
In addition to being a use-value and a product of labour, a commodity must be, generally speaking, produced for e_________________, or generally an additional process is required for the commodity to be consumed or used.
exchange.
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71
If a commodity has no use-value, does it have a value? Explain.
No–to be a value requires a commodity to be useful for others–abstract labour is potentially social labour and must be useful to others if it is to actually be social labour.
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72
Does exchange occur, generally, between the same kind of use-values, or between different kinds of use-values?
Different kinds of use-values.
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73
If exchange occurs between different kinds of use-values, must there not be a common basis for exchanging the commodities, that is to say, which makes them equal in some way so that they can be converted into each other?
Yes.
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74
The two aspects of a commodity are 1. ___________________ and 2. _____________.
use-value; (exchange) value
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75
If labour were social labour as it is being performed, would there be any need for exchange?
No.
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76
The first section of the first chapter of Capita, volume 1, clarifies the distinction between the two elements that make up the commodity: 1. _____________ and 2. ____________.
1. use-value; value
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77
When we look at commodities from the point of view of the _________________ of value, then there is no d________________ between them.
substance; distinction
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78
In Marx’s initial investigation of capitalism in this section, there is a downward
process of analysis (not synthesis), where he proceeds from the reality of capitalism as it presents itself phenomenally (what we can perceive) (such as in the form of _________, where commodities are seen as exchanging in certain quanitative proportions) and then abstracts from that level to examine the essence (such as ___________), independently of that phenomenal level or relation.
exchange-value; value
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79
The commodity is only examined analytically (and thus one-dimensionally) – at times solely from the perspective of ___________ and at other times solely from the perspective of _____________; Marx does not consider them in their unity yet.
use-value; value
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80
Does Marx consider, in his analysis of the commodity in this section, the commodity owner? Explain.
No. The issue is the nature of the commodity as use value and especially as value–an objective condition or situation that imposes itself on owners of commodities.
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81
In section 1, Marx concentrates on the fact that there must be some q__________________ e___________element in common between the two commodities in the equation.
quantitatively equal
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82
If commodities are of the same kind, would they be exchanged? What is the implication of the answer to this question for a basic condition for exchange to occur?
No, they would not. The implication is that exchange arises only between commodities produced that are different in use values.
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83
The social form of social labour in a society characterized by commodity production is e____________ human labour, which involves a___________ from or n_______________ of the immediate use value, or e_____________ of difference.
equal; abstraction; negation; exclusion
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84
The r____________ of e____________ constitutes the specific social form of social labour in a society dominated by commodity production.
relation; equality
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85
The commodity that is analyzed from the very first paragraph in section 1 is a commodity implicitly of a c______________ society and not just a mere production of commodities that arise in various earlier kinds of society.
capitalist
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86
In the analysis of the commodity, Marx clarifies that the commodity is a use value and a value (a direct unity of o_______________), and as such it is in a c_____________. But the opposition between use value and value is an opposition within the s___________ commodity.
opposition; contradiction; same
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87
If we take two commodities that may be exchanged, say beer and wheat, they are both instances of abstract human labour, but they are also different instances of abstract human labour; these different instances must be really a_________ or n____________ or i__________ when considering their equal nature as abstract human labour.
abstracted; neglected; ignored
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88
Normally, when we refer to the properties of a thing, we say that the thing HAS such properties (as a ball has the colour red, has a round shape, etc.). Marx, however, refers to the collective products of abstract human labour as being value. Although we may refer to the commodity as having value, this reference to being value implies that this property is quite different from p___________, c_____________, g____________ or other n___________ properties.
physical; chemical; geometrical; natural
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89
If the beginning of Capital involves a commodity that is a commodity related to capital and yet no explicit mention of capital is involved in the first chapter, would it be possible that Marx a___________ed the concept of commodity from his concept of capital and presented his analysis of the commodity and its contradictions in such a way that it leads to that from which the commodity is abstracted (that is to say, from capital)?
abstracted; yes, it is possible.
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90
If the commodity is the elementary form of capitalist wealth, and yet there is no reference to capital in the first section other than the reference implicit in the first sentence, could it be that the commodity is presented as what is immediately present, with capital as not immediately present but lurking in the background as that from which the commodity is abstracted?
Yes, it is possible.
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91
If abstracting the commodity from the larger whole called capital is a negation, then a return to the concept of capital as a larger whole would require the n______________________________ of the n_________________________________, or its mediation, would it not?
negation; negation. It might.
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92
Marx’s analysis of the commodity begins with an analysis of the use-value of the commodity. The use-value is the i____________________________ q__________ of the commodity; the immediate quality of the commodity is identical to the immediate b_________ of the commodity, or to its p_____________ or s_____________ nature.
immediate quality; being; perceptible; sensuous
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93
Does the origin of a need change the fact that something is a use-value?
No.
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94
Does the manner in which a need is satisfied change the nature of a use-value?
No.
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95
In relation to use-value, Marx considers the quality of a commodity in relation to quantity 1. in terms of the m____ properties of a single commodity, in terms of many commodities of the s_____kind and many di________ kinds of use-values: from the m____ within o____, to many of the o____s, to many o_____.
many; same; diverse (or different); many;one; one; ones
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96
After considering the quality of use values in relation to their threefold quantities (as properties, as one of the same kind and as one of many kinds), marx then turns to the r____________ between the m____ k______: exchange-_______
relation; many; kinds; value
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97
If use-values are bearers of (exchange) value, then use-values are p__________ for the existence of exchange-value.
precondition
The Abolitionary 