“ The capitalist does not care whether it is considered that he advances constant capital to make a profit out of his variable capital, or that he advances variable capital to enhance the value of the constant capital ”
Karl Marx, Das Kapital (1894). copy citation
| Author | Karl Marx |
|---|---|
| Source | Das Kapital |
| Topic | value profit |
| Date | 1894 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Capital-Volume-... |
Context
“As already shown in the first book [English edition: Vol. 1, pp. 168-69. 714-16. — Ed.] , it is precisely the fact that non-workers own the means of production which turns labourers into wage-workers and non-workers into capitalists.
The capitalist does not care whether it is considered that he advances constant capital to make a profit out of his variable capital, or that he advances variable capital to enhance the value of the constant capital; that he invests money in wages to raise the value of his machinery and raw materials, or that he invests money in machinery and raw materials to be able to exploit labour. Although it is only the variable portion of capital which creates surplus-value, it does so only if the other portions, the conditions of production, are likewise advanced.”
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