Absolute Value and the Concept of Human Rights

Dong Zhi Yong

Description

The fourth milestone in the history of the development of economic thoughts, following An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation by David Ricardo, and Capital by Karl Marx.

Sujets

• Economic Disparity
• Social Classes
• Social Science
• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 31 août 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781456628895
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

ABSOLUTE VALUE AND THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
绝对价值与人权概念
DONG Zhiyong
董志勇
Published by Dong Zhiyong
Dong Zhiyong: 1954-
Copyright © 2017 by Dong Zhiyong
All Rights Reserved
For further information, please contact:
Zhiyong Dong,
Mail Box 188, Taoyuan Campus,
Northwest University, Gaoxinsi Road,
Xian, Shaanxi, 710075, P. R. China
ISBN: 978-981-11-3863-8
Printed Edition USD 100
E-book Edition USD 30
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 LABOUR
Section 1: Current Connotation of the Word Labour
Section 2: The Current Definitions of Labour
Section 3: Multi-Moment Activities
Section 4: The Unity of Single-Moment Activity and Multi-Moment Activity
Section 5: The Difference between Labour and Other Multi-Moment Activities
CHAPTER 2
LABOUR-POWER
Section 1: The Definition and Function of Labour-Power
Section 2: Individual Labour
Section 3: Individual Labour-Power
Section 4. Extended Individual Labour
Section 5: Extended Individual Labour-Power
CHAPTER 3
CONCRETE LABOUR AND CONCRETE LABOUR-POWER
Section 1: Concrete Labour
Section 2: The Expression of the Quantity of Concrete Labour and its Measurement
Section 3: Concrete Labour-Power
CHAPTER 4
ABSTRAT LABOUR AND ABSTRAT LABOUR-POWER
Section 1: Abstract Labour
Section 2: Absolute Abstract Labour and Absolute Abstract Labour-power
Section 3: Relative Abstract Labour and Relative Abstract Labour-power
Section 4: Measurement of the Quantity of Abstract Labour and Abstract Labour-Power
CHAPTER 5
CO-OPERATIONAND THE DIVISION OF LABOUR
Section 1: Limitation of Individual Labour and Collective Labour
Section 2: Difference between Extended Individual Labour and Collective Labour
Section 3: Co-operation and Division of Labour
Section 4: Two Processes of Division of Labour
Section 5: Significance to Study The Moments in Division of Labour
CHAPTER 6
OWNERSHIP
Section 1: Ownership in General
Section 2: Existent Forms of Ownership
Section 3: Ownerships of Products, Services and Natural resource
CHAPTER 7
OWNERSHIP OF LABOUR POWER AND FORMS OF DISTRIBUTION OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Section 1: Ownership of Labour power
Section 2: Ownership of Labour Power of Primitive Matriarchal Household
Section 3: Ownership of Labour Power of Primitive Patriarchal Household
Section 4: Self-Ownership of Labour Power
Section 5: Slave Ownership of Labour Power
Section 6: Feudal-Ownership of Labour Power
Section 7: Civil-Ownership of Labour Power
Section 8: Individual Ownership of Labour Power
Section 9: Partial Social Ownership of Labour Power
CHAPTER 8
OWNERSHIP OF THE LIVING BODY OF HUMAN BEINGS
Section 1: Ownership of the Living Body of Human Beings
Section 2: Self-ownership of the living body of human beings
Section 4: Feudal ownership of the living body of human beings
Section 5: Civil ownership of the living body of human beings
Section 6: Individual ownership of the living body of human beings
Section 7: Difference between Labourer and Non-Labourer
CHAPTER 9
OWNERSHIP OF MARRIAGE RIGHT
Section 1: Ownership of Marriage Right
Section 2: Ownership of Marriage Right of Primitive Matriarchal Household
Section 3: Slave Ownership of the Marriage Right
Section 4: Feudal Ownership of the Marriage Right
Section 5: Self-ownership of Marriage Right
Section 6: Individual Ownership of the Marriage Right
Section 7: A Few Relevant Facts Which Should Be Mentioned
CHAPTER 10
OWNERSHIP OF THE PERSON AND THE SOCIAL HIERARCHIES
Section 1: Ownership of the Person in General
Section 2: Social Hierarchies
Section 3: Primitive Matriarchal Clan Ownership of the Person
Section 4: Self-ownership of the Person
Section 5: Slave Ownership of the Person
Section 6: Feudal Ownership of the Person
Section 7: Civil Ownership of the Person
Section 8: Individual Ownership of the Person
Section 9: The Relationship between Ownership of the Person and the Social Nature of Society
CHAPTER 11
THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Section 1: The Nature of the Concept of Human Rights
Section 2: Historical Conditions for the Emergence and Development of the Concept of Human Rights
CHAPTER 12
COMMODITIES AND THEIR USE VALUE
Section 1: Genus, Differentia and Existent Forms of Commodities
Section 2: Prerequisite for the Existence of Commodity
Section 3: Use Value of Commodity
CHAPTER 13
RELETIVE VALUE OF COMMODITIES
Section 1: Price and Exchange Value of Commodities
Section 2: Process of the Emergence of Relative Value
Section 3: Expressive Forms of Relative Value
1. Elementary or Accidental Form of Relative Value
2. Total or Expanded Form of Relative Value
3. General Form of Relative Value
5. Coin Form of Relative Value.
CHAPTER 14
ABSOLUTE VALUE OF COMMODITIES
Section 1: Absolute Value of Commodities
Section 2: Significance and Direct Aim for a Community to Set Up Absolute Value
Section 3: Expression of Absolute Value
Section 4: Process and Methods to Increase Absolute Value
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX OF SUBJECTS
INDEX OF NAMES
Acknowledgments
I firstly must thank Professor Bernard Cullen, my supervisor when I studied for my PhD Degree from 1992 to 1998 at the School of Philosophical and Anthropological Studies, College of Humanities, the Queen’s University of Belfast. Without his continuous encouragement and support for more than twenty eight years, this book could not have been completed at all. This book is based on my doctoral thesis OWNERSHIP OF THE PERSON AND THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN RIGHTS . His close reading of several drafts of my doctoral thesis saved me from many logical and linguistic mistakes.
The Queen’s University of Belfast granted me the visiting studentship for six years to cover my tuition fees and my living allowance. I would not be able to complete my doctoral thesis, which is the base of this book, if I would have not been grated the studentship.
Special thanks should be given to Ms. Dong Xin, my daughter, for her close reading the draft of the whole book and bring this book to publication. I owe very much to Ms. Zhao Hui, my ex-wife. She sacrificed very much during the period of my research on the topic.
I should also thank Pro. Li Zhiqin and Prof. Zhao Chunchen. Both of them are my supervisors when I studied for my Master’s Degree.
Dong Zhiyong
Department of Philosophy, Northwest University
Xi’an, Shaanxi, P. R. China
June 2017
INTRODUCTION
This book develops a theory of the reasons for people to format the concepts of absolute value and human rights and of the meaning of the two concepts.
The concept of absolute value was put forward first some 190 years ago by David Ricardo in his book On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation . 1 However, no one has explained clearly what absolute value is and if there exists absolute value at all since the publication of the book.
In order to answer the above questions, this book postulates the concepts of multi-moment activities; absolute abstract labour and relative abstract labour; absolute abstract labour power and relative abstract labour power. It adopts terms already in widespread usage, such as labour, collective labour, individual labour, concrete labour, abstract labour, division of labour, and so on, but with the author’s own definitions.
Above all, it introduces the term ‘moment’ as another unit for the measurement of the quantity of abstract labour embodied in concrete labour.
My answer to the question of what is absolute value is that the absolute value of commodities refers to the phenomena that a community as a whole regulates that the same kind of commodities of the same quantity contain the same quantity of value, consequently, can be sold at the same price, no matter what method by which it is produced and carried to the same market at the same time. Therefore, the idea of absolute value is only a thinking moment for people to go through when they plan their economic activities.
By explaining clearly what absolute abstract labour is, what absolute value is, what relative abstract labour is, what relative value is, how absolute value is expressed, i.e. the relation between absolute value and relative value, and how to measure absolute value, we will surely have a better understanding of the reasons why there exists the distinction of average income between different communities; why the same quantity of a sort of commodity, say one ton of wheat, have the same price in the same market, no matter how different the methods or tools used by the producers and no matter how much time the producers used in producing them; why the distinction of average income between different communities can be compared and expressed by the same measurement (currency), such as American dollars or British sterling, etc.; why the real gross national product of a nation can increase much faster than the increase of the number in the labour force in the sense of the number of working population or the total working hours of the nation; why there has been inflation; or whether it is wise to practise the policy of “welfare state”; whether it is necessary to increase the minimum wage according to the increase of efficiency in productivity; the significance of making use of new technology in the economy, etc. By getting to know the entity and measurement of absolute value, we may articulate macro-economics and micro-economics much better, the gap between which has been being widened since the beginning of the twentieth century. And in the new light of the theory of absolute value, the relevant economists may put forward some better ideas to the politicians who are deciding the economic policies