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Part ⅠIs the advent of communism historically inevitable ?
Chapter 1. Prerequisites of Des Capital
(1)Three kinds of prerequisites
In analyzing Capital, we must pay attention to be able to precisely grasp the total image of Capital. It seems to become as follows, if summing up the total image of Capital in a word. That is: Capital declares some "basic propositions" on many "prerequisites". With such a process, Karl Marx shows that a capitalistic society will inevitably fail. When Capital is compared to a building, the prerequisite is its foundation, and its basic proposition is equivalent to a pillar. If a building is big, the foundation must be strengthened firmly, and pillar must be strong, too. So first, we will begin by examining the prerequisite. Though with many prerequisites, Capital has the three next typical kinds.
[Prerequisite №1] … … …Simplification "in every process of creating value, the reduction of skilled labour to average social labour, e.g., one day of skilled to six days of unskilled labour, is unavoidable. We therefore save ourselves a superfluous operation, and simplify our analysis, by the assumption, that the labour of the workman employed by the capitalist is unskilled average labour." (Vol. 1, P .213)
[Prerequisite № 2] … … … Discard and Disregard "In order to conceive these forms in their pure state, one must first of all discard all factors which have nothing to do with the changing or building of forms as such. It is therefore taken for granted here not only that the commodities are sold at their values but also that this takes place under the same conditions throughout. Likewise disregarded therefore are any changes of value which might occur during the movement in circuits." (Vol. 2 , P .32)
[Prerequisite № 3] … … … Equalisation "The fact that capitals employing unequal amounts of living labour produce unequal amounts of surplus-value, presupposes at least to a certain extent that the degree of exploitation or the rate of surplus-value are the same, or that any existing differences in them are equalised by real or imaginary (conventional) grounds of compensation. This would assume competition among labourers and equalisation through their continual migration from one sphere of production to another." (Vol. 3, P .184)
Any prerequisite has as the goal to simplify its theory. And it happened so accidentally that [Prerequisite №１] is described in Capital Vol. 1, [Prerequisite № 2] is described in Capital Vol. 2, and [Prerequisite № 3] is described in Capital Vol. 3. These show that Capital is built on prerequisites. And Karl Marx describes furthermore relation of theory and reality as follows. "But in theory it is assumed that the laws of capitalist production operate in their pure form. In reality there exists only approximation: but, the greater this approximation is, the more developed the capitalist mode of production and the less it is adulterated and amalgamated with survivals of former economic conditions."(Vol. 3, P .184) Has the belief of Karl Marx become a thing of actuality? We want to do the examination, next.
(2) Investigation of prerequisites
[Prerequisite No.1] … … … Simplification (about complex labor and unskilled labor) If complex labor is manual labor, it may be possible to dismantle and simplify it, and perhaps measure the value by working hours. Actually, it would also be impossible. Will it be possible furthermore in case of brainwork? It is impossible to measure the value of brainwork by time. Karl Marx does not mention brainwork in Capital. As an example of brainwork, a scholar, or an artist occur to mind immediately, but can we measure their labor value by working hour? Their work, such as invention, discovery or a work of art is not a thing to be completed if time is given. Compared to the epoch of Karl Marx, population ratio of brainwork becomes bigger today. Accordingly this prerequisite cannot be ignored.
[Prerequisite No.2] … … … Discard (disregard of value change) Commodity is supposed to be bought and sold with the real value, which is not so in many cases actually. Value before selling and purchase is a simple estimate. Between theory value and an actual one, it is general that a difference occurs. But Karl Marx ignores change of value. In accounting theory, we strictly distinguish the revenue accrual from revenue realization. I will introduce this as follows. It might be understood that to ignore value change is deviated from actuality. "In terms of economics, revenue should be gradually formed with the proceeding of manufacture. Nevertheless, in corporate accounting, revenue accrual is not recognized if not accompanied by revenue realization. Accordingly movement of business capital is caught with table (Ⅱ) instead of table (Ⅰ). (Ⅰ) M ― ― C … … C '― ― M ' (Ⅱ) M ― ― C … … C ― ― M ' And you should have such a fundamental attitude in recognizing revenue. Because we must think much of ① "accurate calculation" and ② "existence of objective evidence". In other words, in corporate accounting, to recognize the accrual of expense and revenue means what we record with monetary value. Naturally the condition must exist there that makes the appreciation possible, and measurement must be possible. In corporate accounting, it is affirmed for the time being that revenue is formed in a production process. But until revenue is realized and the amount is settled, we cannot recognize this and cannot measure it either. Especially in market production structure as today, it is difficult to settle revenue realization. Revenue is not settled until product and service are carried to customer and formation of countervalue is made. Therefore it is a risk to recognize revenue without waiting for the arrival of the phase. Because it appropriates paper profit which occurs by a product remaining unsold, and means that they are inflicted in object of distribution of net profit. Generally, in corporate accounting, revenue comes to be recognized by the arrival of the fact of selling." (Modern Accounting Theory P.96 ～ P.97, written by Prof. Tadahiro Yamamasu; translation by the author)
[Prerequisite No. 3] … … … Equalisation (equalisation of surplus value rate) It will also be the fact that exploitation degree of labor or surplus value rate is equalised by competition and migration among free laborers. But it is also thinkable that surplus value rates have a greater gap by free competition. In fact, these are often pointed out in Capital by Karl Marx himself. That is to say, corporate will accumulate capital according to the "doctrine of survival of the fittest" while repeating bankruptcy or absorption. There is a corporate business going into bankrupt, and there is another toward prosperity. This will be an evidence of a big gap occurring on surplus value rates. The Capital had contained various problems in the prerequisites. Did not the prerequisites, established in order to simplify the theory, ignore the actuality too much? This was just one of the reasons why the actuality did not get closer to theory at all even if capitalistic mode of production developed. Thus doubt has occurred on the consistency of Capital at the phase of prerequisite. What kind of pillar is Karl Marx going to build on these prerequisites? The following chapter will refer to the "basic propositions" that should be called the pillars of Capital.
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