Controversy has prevailed since the problem of "transforming" values into prices first emerged in the late 19th century. Progress has, regrettably, been hampered by attempts to "vindicate" Marx's work exactly, rather than treating him as a pioneer upon whom his successors must build, using the...

Despite its exasperating opacity and lack of closure, the value debate has a vital objective: to grasp those defining aspects of capitalist society that do not appear on the visible surface space of conscious individual actors. In pursuit of this objective, careful conceptual analysis reveals...