Engels quotes Duhring.
“What this “economic image of the relations of production and distribution means in Quesnay himself,” he says, can only be explained if one has “first carefully examined the leading ideas which are peculiar to him”. All the more so because hitherto these have only been set forth with “wavering indefiniteness”, and their “essential features cannot be recognised” even in Adam Smith.” (p 310)
But, as Engels sets out, Duhring, in the following five pages, fails to put forward any new perceptions in respect of the Tableau, and presents only confusion and vagueness “such as, for example, “the difference between input and output”. Though the latter, “it is true, is not to be found complete in Quesnay's ideas”, Herr Dühring on the other hand will give us a dazzling example of it as soon as he passes from his lengthy introductory “input” to his remarkably short-winded “output” , that is to say, to his elucidation of the Tableau itself.” (p 311)
Engels quotes Duhring's “input”.
“It seemed self-evident to him” (Quesnay) “that the revenue” (Herr Dühring had just spoken of the net product) “must be thought of and treated as a money value ... He tied his deliberations” (!) “immediately with the money values which he assumed as the results of the sales of all agricultural products when they first change hands. In this way” (!) “he operates with several milliards (that is, with money values) in the columns of his Tableau” .” (p 311)
Engels stresses Duhring's repeated statement that there are only money values set out in The Tableau. The Tableau does indeed contain money values, just as Marx, in his own schemas of reproduction, in his depiction of the circuit of industrial capital, and so on, also uses money values. But, these money values are a shorthand, they represent the money equivalent of the actual physical product that must be reproduced. It assumes no change in the value of money, i.e. no inflation of prices, and no change in social productivity, i.e. no change in the value the commodities to be physically reproduced.
But, it is precisely because the Tableau, as with Marx's schemas, is about the reproduction of the physical product, that its real basis is as an input-output table of these physical quantities. As Marx puts it in Capital III, Chapter 49.
“If the productiveness of labour remains the same, then this replacement in kind implies replacing the same value which the constant capital had in its old form. But should the productiveness of labour increase, so that the same material elements may be reproduced with less labour, then a smaller portion of the value of the product can completely replace the constant part in kind.” (p 849)
In other words, if productivity rises so that the product of 100 hours of labour is 1,000 kilos of corn (seed), rather than 800 kilos of corn (seed), and to produce this corn (seed), 100 kilos of seed must be planted, it is this physical amount of seed (100 kilos) that must be replaced, as Marx noted, in response to Ramsay, and it, now, constitutes only 10% of the product, not 12.5%, as before.
Engels quotes Duhring further.
“Had Quesnay considered things from a really natural standpoint, and had he rid himself not only of regard for the precious metals and the quantity of money, but also of regard for money values...But as it is he reckons solely with sums of value, and imagined” (!) “the net product in advance as a money value”.” (p 311)
In these arguments of Duhring can, also, be seen the roots of the same errors made by the proponents of the TSSI, and use of historic prices.
Duhring says,
“He” (Quesnay) “obtained it” (the net product) “by deducting the expenses and thinking, (!) principally” (not traditional but for that matter all the more superficial reporting) “of that value which would accrue to the landlord as rent”.” (p 312)
Set aside the reference to “rent” as opposed to profit, and essentially, this is the process used by Ramsay, as described by Marx in Theories of Surplus Value, Chapter 22, which results in the “illusion” of profit arising from changes in prices, leading to a release of capital. It is also the argument of the TSSI based on the use of historic prices.
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