Abstract labour and concrete labour

In capitalism, Karl Marx According forms the abstract work, the "substance" of the goods awarded exchange values ​​. According to the theory of Karl Marx, human labor, so far as it produces products for a commodity exchange, a two-fold character:

• The concrete- useful side of labor creates use-values ​​, useful items that satisfy any human need. Carpentry is an example of this aspect of the work. It is further defined in the specific activities in the production process, ie sawing wood, hammering, etc., and can be found as such in every historical form of production.

• In one form of society in which each other isolated individuals produce goods and exchange according to their exchange value, the work has also made the character to be exchange value-creating. As exchange value-creating work is conceptually distinct from the concrete, real work, which creates the use value of a commodity. For the exchange value of the goods, for example, "Rock " can not also be " Rock" - a rock is not exchanged against another rock, but against a different product or for money.

Importance

This page abstract of the work is relevant when products are produced for exchange and thus take the form of commodities. In addition to their practical value they receive an exchange value. The value or price of the goods from their use-value is abstracted (different use-values ​​can have the same price, yes, they must have it to be replaced ), ie according to need and the work that has produced these goods, useful from their side to be considered separately. Even if the abstract work of, eg, two hours through an increase in the productive power suddenly double the amount of product ( ie use values ​​) brings about, so maybe ten trousers, where the seamstress has made ​​before a rationalization only five must, in these two hours created value will remain the same, the value of each piece of practical value - the pants in this example - therefore be dropped.

This is not intellectual, but " real " abstraction always takes place where use values ​​get a certain about the market price. The existence of this practice, asserted in reality abstraction thus can not simply be refuted, that there are different work intensities and different qualifications: such thing as a "simple average labor ", can be reduced to be more complicated and above average or below average intensive work, is everywhere, where, where independent private workers for the exchange of produce.

Ratio of concrete, useful and abstract labor

One can in a society where different people in the concrete, useful work expending, " every human work", therefore each individual concrete, useful work after the two sides differ. Here, the second as abstract labor designated page comes only as a general characteristic of any individual concrete useful labor into view. This " general property of human labor " (Karl Marx, Capital Volume 1, MEW, 23 p 72) So at first nothing to do with " value production " (ibid.), so nothing even of the historically specific ways in the individual concrete, useful work in any social formation its socially general form (cf., production ). Thus, in a pre-capitalist society have the individual concrete, useful work, for example, their socially general form precisely in its natural form, therefore in the form in which they are spent as concretely useful work.

This is - what can only be hinted at here - the fact that the social context is provided to the practical activities of the various concrete useful labor, so that through this conditional, the social individual concrete useful labor before their practical expenditure as a socially general, so as expended are recognized. This is done according to Marx, of course, for the people so unconscious way as them their social context is unconscious.

Importance in capitalism

With the circulation of commodities, such as it exists as generally prevailing abstract sphere of capitalist total reproduction process, a historically specific social context is given, which is reduced due to abstraction of price and money on the social exchange relationship between the products of labor, from which explained the value the money needs. As people in capitalist society into contact occur by means of the exchange of the products of labor with one another, which shall decide on the simplest way about the form in which the individual received concrete useful labor the socially general character. Now interested in the general property of the work to each other in the exchange relationship of the work products. This is a social equality relation, in which the products of labor and objectified in them various concrete, useful work will be equated in the respect and relate to each other in which they are actually the same. The various concrete, useful work the same, namely their common " general property of human labor " (Karl Marx, Capital, Volume 1, MEW 23, p 72 ), by the social relation of the work products to each other, the social significance, the to be socially - general form of individual concrete, useful work. Under this aspect of the " value of production " ( Marx, ibid ) receives this general property by the exchange relation of the work products to each other, the general social value visual form of individual concrete, useful work.

Double character of labor

In Capital, says: "All work is, on the one hand expenditure of human labor power in the physiological sense, and in this capacity the same human or abstract human labor, it forms the value of goods. All work is on the other expenditure of human labor power in a special purpose certain form, and in this capacity of concrete useful labor, it produces use-values ​​. " ( MEW 23, p 61) In all requisite clarity Marx speaks of the dual nature of the work, so that no doubt can, how much the definition must be understood as a general property " in the physiological sense," which receives the social form determined by the exchange, so it is just a euphemism for the abstract human labor as a social form of individual concrete useful labor. If the value of visual physiological expenditure of nerve, brain, muscle, hand understood that really brain, muscle and hand in sweat and " toil " operated bereitend, then this can only mean that use values ​​are produced, so that the " double character work " has destroyed; because one has to deal only with " in the form of dedicated " expended concrete useful labor that is not socially common form of individual concrete useful labor and therefore has nothing to do with the value. Than about the exchange rate "So the work contained in these values ​​do not apply through their productive behavior to cloth and yarn, but only as expenditure of human labor-power " ( MEW 23, p 59 ) that " not contain more natural products ( can ) ". ( MEW 23, p 97) If as a result of studying the exchange relations to the general description of each concrete useful labor as mere - no productive behavior to cloth and yarn, expressing - goes expenditure of human labor-power, the value is forming, then this is consequently nothing more than a euphemism for the abstract human labor, which, due to the exchange of the products of labor, as " common property " ( MEW 23, p 72 ) of the individual concrete useful labor is the socially general form.