From Science in History, J. D. Bernal, 1954

The theory of surplus value
    Marx took over the labour theory of value, elaborated by Adam Smith and Ricardo, and drew from it the all-important concept of surplus value. The �vulgar economists� (p. 730) saw the wages paid to workers as a fit exchange for the value of the work they did, and attributed the profit of the employer to his superior foresight or abstention from spending.¹ Marx, on the contrary, took the �exchange value� of the commodity as the �socially necessary labour time�* required to produce it, unlike the proponents of the marginal theory, who derived it from the subjective estimates of the market itself (p. 480).² It included the value (embodied labour) of the raw materials and of the part of the capital equipment used up in its production (Capital, Vol. I, Ch. 7).³

    1. There may be a theory of value ; what is "labour theory of value" ?
    A theory of the value of labour apparently was considered. I have seen A. Smith criticised on account of his theory of "value" ; Ricardo was even more severely criticised, for some misconceptions. ("Lassais faire" in the French fundamentally implies the freedom of the individual to do as he would ; and not the freedom to exploit others as an opportunity might offer itself).
    * "Hard words without meaning" (Berkeley). What is the diffrence between 'necessary labour time' and 'socially necessary labour time', for example.
    The necessary labour (i.e. the physical work, presumably) time. What about the necessary non-labor time
    2. What �subjective estimates of the market� ? There may be subjective estimates by some potential buyers of something ; or by some sellers of something.
    A seller or provider of something must make more money on the article or service sold or provided than he had spent on creating it. Else he is out of business in no time.
    The 'subjective estimates' would be by either the seller or provider — or by the buyer. In either case some subjective estimates would enter into the computations : was this the "market" spoken about ? It rather looks like a sort of confusion — whether due to the mental weakness of this author or by design (fraud).
    How do you know which one of the preceding ? I for one don't know ; I am not curious about determining, was a Bernal mentally weak or was he just a fraud on these subjects ; apparently he had some competence on some areas of actual scientific research, but this "Science in History" rather looks like some marxian anti-science versus true history.
    3. Un-sane. The raw materials go through many hands in many instances � before anything is marketable. Each transaction usually involves the buyer-seller type of relation, each is usually made by individuals, including the signing of long-term contracts. . (WPT).

 

What is paid to the free worker under capitalism is by no means the �socially necessary labour time� expended. Labour itself is treated as a commodity like any other, and its value is reckoned at what value, or labour time, is embodied in it.⁴ It represented just enough for the worker and his family to live on in the customary way for that kind of worker at the time (Marx�s historic and moral element). Actual wages might be above or below this value, but tended to coincide with it.

 

The difference between the exchange value added in production and the value of the labour expended in producing it is the surplus value taken by the capitalist, and is the essential source of his wealth which he can use as capital for further operations. It accrues to him not on account of any particular merit or service on his part. He could extract it thanks to the power of the social system* of capitalism, established as the result of political and economic struggles by the bourgeoisie and maintained with all the apparatus of coercion : the law and police of the State which they controlled. Marx thus demonstrated that capitalism, far from being a system* of natural justice as the classical economists maintained, was one of extortion imposed by arbitrary force. It was this central concept of exploitation, which the economists had hidden even from themselves, that was to give explosive force to Marx�s teaching. It was not that workers and peasants had not felt exploited for centuries, it was rather that now they could understand the mechanism through which the exploitation was carried on. They could see that it was not a matter of the hardness of this employer or that employer, but that the fault lay with the whole system* by which the employer and landlord lived. The workers were also to learn with Marx and his successors how to �expropriate the expropriators� . . .

    * By 'capitalist' could best be understood a person who loans money on interest. The capitalist does in the end provide a service, in the form of a loan, for which he normally expects to be paid, else there would not no reasons whatever for his doing so.

(That considered apart from such possibilities as large sums of money in the hands of people who would abuse their power).

Is the party who borrows money from the 'capitalist' a capitalist just as well. I mainly see slogging against the 'capitalist system' in this theory, but such a fine distinction I have not yet spotted to date.

IS THE BORROWER OF MONEY A CAPITALIST : this is a question I would ask of the marxian school.

I am trying to form some understanding of this theory. The moneylender on one end ; the labour (the worker) on the other end.

Common-sense would dictate : Every sort of party involved in the production of something does provide some sort of service, some sort of contribution to the final value of the product on the market.

But the borrowers (from the capitalist) have been hounded just as well, as it seems, by this school. Anybody who was not the worker was apparently hounded, without any regard to such facts as, a sum of money in somebody's hand is not yet the works, nor the raw materials, nor the management and maintenance, etc.

The whole program is entirely based on the assumption that it is only the labour that contributes to the final value of the product. But that is patently false ; the proposed solution was 'socialism' — but to an ill-defined problem. (WPT)

London : Watts, 1957, pages 740-1.

*   What on Earth is that ?

http://newcriterion.com/archive/08/dec89/gress.htm

*   http://understandingscience.ucc.ie/pages/sci_johndesmondbernal.htm
    Bernal was a very popular figure in the USSR and in the post-war East European States. He won the Lenin Peace Prize in 1955. His dedication to Marxist philosophy made him a great admirer of the Soviet Union but his outlook in this respect was far too uncritical. In his obituary of Stalin, Bernal described him as �a great scientist who combined a deeply scientific approach to all problems with his capacity for feeling and expressing himself in simple and direct terms�. Bernal�s reaction to Trofim Lysenko, Stalin�s favourite biologist, was ambivalent. Lysenko challenged the conventional theory of genetics and enforced his ideas on Soviet agriculture with disastrous economic and scientific consequences. John D. Bernal clearly deserves the accolade of Sage for his scientific work and for his wide-ranging general knowledge. I am no expert on Marxism or the former Soviet Union but, nevertheless, it seems to me that Bernal�s judgement regarding Soviet society and science fell far short of sagacity.

*   http://www.cpim.org/marxist/200101_marxist_bernal_apatil.htm
    "John Desmond Bernal was born on 10.5.1901 in an Irish catholic family, who were formerly Spanish shepherdic Jews and his mother was an American."

 

 

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The extension of man: a history of physics before the quantum. Publisher Cambridge, M.I.T. Press [1972] Description 317 p. illus. 23 cm. ISBN 0262020866 Language English Note Originally given as lectures at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The extension of man: a history of physics before 1900 [by] J. D. Bernal. Publisher London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1972. Description 317 p. illus., maps, facsims. 23 cm. ISBN 0297003704 Language English Note Includes bibliographical references.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science in history [by] J. D. Bernal Publisher Cambridge, Mass., M.I.T. Press, [1971, c1969] Description 4 v. (1328, xxv p.) illus. 21 cm ISBN 0262020734 (v. 1) Language English Note Includes bibliographies Contents v. 1. The emergence of science.--v. 2. The scientific and industrial revolutions.--v. 3. The natural sciences in our time.--v. 4. The social sciences: conclusion

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science and industry in the nineteenth century, by J. D. Bernal Publisher Bloomington, Indiana University Press [1970, c1953] Description xiii, 230 p. illus., facsims. 22 cm Series Midland books ISBN 253201284 Language English Note Includes bibliographical references

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The world, the flesh and the devil: an inquiry into the future of the three enemies of the rational soul [by] J.D. Bernal. Publisher London, Cape, 1970. Description 76 p. 18 cm. Series Cape editions,41 ISBN 022461830X Language English Note Bibliography: p. 75.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The origin of life [by] J. D. Bernal. Publisher London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson [1967, repr. 1969] Description xvi, 345 p. illus., diagrs., map, 26 plates, tables. 25 cm. Series The Weidenfeld and Nicolson natural history Language English Note Bibliography: p. 305-310.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science in history [by] J. D. Bernal. Publisher Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1969. Description 4 v. illus., facsims., maps. 20 cm. Series Pelican book ;A994-A997 Language English Note Includes bibliographies. Contents v. 1. The emergence of science.--v. 2. The scientific and industrial revolutions.--v. 3. The natural sciences in our time.--v. 4. The social sciences: conclusion. v.1. The emergence of science.--v.2. The scientific and industrialrevolutions.--v.3. The natural sciences in our time.--v.4. The The social sciences onclusion.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The world, the flesh & the devil; an enquiry into the future of the three enemies of the rational soul [by] J. D. Bernal Publisher Bloomington, Indiana University Press [1969] Description ix, 81 p. 22 cm ISBN 253194008

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science in history [by] J. D. Bernal. Publisher Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1969. Description 4 v. illus., facsims., maps. 20 cm. Series Pelican book ;A994-A997 Language English Note Includes bibliographies. Contents v. 1. The emergence of science.--v. 2. The scientific and industrial revolutions.--v. 3. The natural sciences in our time.--v. 4. The social sciences: conclusion. v.1. The emergence of science.--v.2. The scientific and industrial revolutions.--v.3. The natural sciences in our time.--v.4. The The social sciences onclusion.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The social function of science [by] J. D. Bernal. Publisher Cambridge, M.I.T. Press [1967, c1939] Description xxxvi, 482 p. illus. 21 cm. Series The M.I.T. Press paperback, 67 Language English Note Includes bibliographical references.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The origin of life [by] J. D. Bernal. Publisher Cleveland : World Pub. Co., [1967] Description xvi, 345 p. illus., map. 25 cm. Series [The World natural history] Language English Note Bibliography: p. 305-310.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science in history [by] J.D. Bernal. Publisher London : C. A. Watts, [1965] Description xxviii, 1039 p. illus., maps. 23 cm. Language English Note Bibliography: p. 979-999.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science in history [by] J.D. Bernal Publisher New York, Hawthorn Books [1965] Description xxviii, 1039 p. illus., maps. 23 cm Language English Note Bibliography: p. 979-999

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Britain's part in the new scientific industrial revolution, by J. D. Bernal. Publisher [Newcastle-upon-Tyne, University, 1965] Description 19 p. illus. 19 cm. Series Earl Grey memorial lecture ;43 Language English Note "Delivered at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 17th May 1964."

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Britain's part in the new scientific industrial revolution / by J. D. Bernal. Publisher [Newcastle-upon-Tyne : University, 1964] Description 19 p. illus. 19 cm. Series Earl Grey memorial lectures;43 Language English Note "Delivered at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 17th May 1964."

A discussion on new materials / organized by J.D. Bernal...[et al.] Publisher London : Royal Society, 1964. Description 154 p. illus. Language English Note From Proceedings of the Royal Society. Series A : Mathematical and physical sciences, no. 1388, vol. 282.

Atomic and molecular structure / [J. D. Bernal ... et al.] Publisher Amsterdam ; New York : Elsevier, 1962. Description xi, 253 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. Series Comprehensive biochemistry ;v. 1 Language English Note Includes bibliographical references and index.

Science for a developing world [edited by] J. D. Bernal. Publisher [London] : World Federation of Scientific Workers, [1962] Description 131 p. 21 cm. Series Science and mankind series Language English Note "An account of a symposium organized by the World Federation of Scientific workers on 'Science and the development of the economy and welfare of mankind,' Warsaw, September 1959."

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title World without war Publisher London : Routledge and Paul, [1961] Description 308 p. : ill. ; 22 cm Language English Note Includes bibliography

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title World without war. Publisher London, Routledge & Paul [1958] Description 308 p. illus. 22 cm. Language English

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title World without war. Publisher New York, Monthly Review Press [1958] Description 308 p. illus. 22 cm. Language English

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science in history. Publisher London, Watts [1957] Description 984 p. illus. 23 cm. Language English

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science in history / J.D. Bernal Publisher New York : Cameron Associates, c1954 Description 2 v. : ill. ; 21 cm Language English

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science in history. Publisher London, Watts [1954] Description xxiv, 967 p. illus., maps. 23 cm. Language English Note Bibliography: p. 934-948.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science and industry in the nineteenth century. Publisher London, Routledge & Paul [1953] Description 230 p. illus. 20 cm. Language English

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Britain's heritage of science / J.D. Bernal. Description p. 20-27 ; 22 cm. Language English Note Caption title. In Britain's cultural heritage. London : Arena Publicaton,[1953?]

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Marx and science. Publisher London, Lawrence & Wishart [1952] Description 59 p. 19 cm. Series Marxism to-day series,no. 9 Language English

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Marx and science. Publisher New York, International Publishers [1952] Description 48 p. 20 cm. Language English Note Includes bibliographical references.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title On disarmament / J. D. Bernal. Publisher London : British Peace Committee, [1951?] Description 23 p. ; 22 cm. Language English

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The physical basis of life Publisher London, Routledge and Paul [1951] Description 80 p. 19 cm Language English Note "Lecture ... written up in 1949 for the Proceedings of the Physical Society." Note Bibliography: p. 78-80

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The freedom of necessity. [Essays] Publisher London, Routledge & K. Paul [1949] Description xi, 437 p. 23 cm. Language English

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Science for peace and socialism, by J. D. Bernal and Maurice Cornforth. Publisher London, Birch Books [1949] Description 85 p. 21 cm. Language English
[ Personally disendorsing any 'socialism', the term covers a fundamental misconception — that is why 'socialism' had never really worked anywhere and 'it' cannot work. (WPT) ]

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Le r�le de la science dans la solution des probl�mes �conomiques modernes. Publisher [Paris, 1948] Description 17 p. Series Universit� de Paris. Les Conf�rences du Palais de la d�couverte Language French Note "Conf�rence faite---le 9 novembre 1947."

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The social function of science Publisher London, Routledge [1946] Description xvi, 482 p. diagrs. 22 cm Language English Note "First published 1939; reprinted 1946."

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The social function of science. Publisher London, Routledge [1942] Description xvi, 482 p. diagrs. 22 cm. Language English Note "First published 1939; reprinted 1942."

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The social function of science, by J.D. Bernal ... Publisher London : G. Routledge & sons ltd., [1939] Description xvi p., 1 l., 482 p. 3 diagr. (2 fold.) 23 cm. Language English Note "First published 1939." Note Includes bibliographical references.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The social function of science. Publisher New York, Macmillan, 1939. Description 482 p. illus. 22 cm. Language English Note Includes bibliographical references.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Engels and science / by J.D. Bernal Publisher London : [The Proprietors, the Trinity Trust, 1936?] Description 15 p. ; 25 cm Series Labor monthly pamphlets ;no. 6 Language English Note Cover title

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Engels and science, by J.D. Bernal. Publisher London [1935?] Description 15 p. 23 cm. Series Labour monthly pamphletno. 6 Language English Note Portrait on cover.

The Frustration of science [by] Sir Daniel Hall, J. G. Crowther, J. D. Bernal [and others] ... Foreword by Frederick Soddy. Publisher London, G. Allen & Unwin, Ltd., [1935] Description 2 p. l., 7-144 p. 19 cm. Language English

Aspects of dialectical materialism / by H. Levy, John Macmurray, Ralph Fox, R. Page Arnot, J. D. Bernal [and] E. F. Carritt Publisher London : Watts & co., [1934] Description vi, 154 p. ; 21 cm Language English Contents --A scientific worker looks at dialectical materialism. By H. Levy.--Dialectical materialism as a philosophy. By John Macmurray.--The relation of literature to dialectical materialism. By Ralph Fox.--The relation of economics to dialectical materialism. By R.P. Arnot.--Dialectical materialism. By J.D. Bernal.--Dialectical materialism. By E.F. Carritt.--Notes in reply to Mr. Carritt's paper. By J.D. Bernal.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title Engels and science / by J.D. Bernal. Publisher London : Labour Monthly, [193-] Description 15 p. ; 25 cm. Series Labour monthly pamphlets ;no. 6 Language English Note Cover title. Note Includes bibliographical references.

Bernal, J. D. (John Desmond), 1901- Title The world, the flesh and the devil; an enquiry into the future of the three enemies of the rational soul, Publisher London, K. Paul, Trench, Trubner & co., ltd.; New York, E. P. Dutton & co., 1929. Description 96 p. 17 cm. Series To-day and to-morrow Language English