Subject: Reading Capital - Part II

Read footnote 26, p. 241-241 in connection with the Preface - it deals with the same theoretical issues with excellent examples that will help you understand his reasoning in the Preface.

pp. 236-239 Marx examines the relationships between producers, their labor and their products in four different contexts, Robinson's island, medieval Europe, peasant subsistence farming, and freely associated producers. How do the features of each of these contexts differ from those of a society of commodity producers? It is the contrast between the latter and the former that illuminates Marx's critique of the fetishism of commodities.

p. 239 Why is Christianity the most suitable form of religion in societies where commodity production prevails? What forms of religion are connected with lower stages in the development of the productive forces and, consequently, "transparent" relations among the producers?

What are the necessary conditions for the future development of transparent relations of production? Why

pp. 240-243 What is the main point of Marx's critique of political economy?

p. 244 - What relationship does Marx postulate between economic relations and legal relations? Pay attention to footnote 31.

p. 244-252 " ...as the transformation of the products of labor into commodities is accomplished, one particular commodity is transformed into money." Explain - the goal is not to memorize all the steps in Marx's argument, but to understand the logic of the historical changes presupposed by the development of money. Pay attention to footnote 33.

Is money a commodity or a social relationship or both? Explain.

PP. 250-252 Pay attention to Marx's critique of political economists reduction of money and commodities to symbols. What are the grounds for Marx's criticisms? Would his criticisms apply to some current forms of sociological thinking? Why?

pp. 252-255 Use Marx's analysis of the circulation of commodities to your own experiences - that's the best way to grasp the process. It is simpler than what it seems.