Objects, Value, Values

What does this phrase mean?

Do you think this is true or untrue?

What are your reasons?

What I think Marx meant by that is that things that have no practical use are of no value.For example, a pen is of value to a person who needs to write, and of no value to a person who does not. Also, I think that's true, but if it's something that is of little value to all of humanity. Even used plastic bottles that people throw in the trash can can be recycled. With the development of science and technology, there are more and more recyclable items. However, there is still a lot of worthless things for certain groups of people.For example, for men, sanitary pad is not useful.

The labour theory of value

Karl Marx; Capital (1867).

The value of a commodity can be objectively measured by the average number of labour hours required to produce that commodity.

Do you think this is true? Why have you taken this view?

I think it's true because it's the fairest way for people to measure it.But that doesn't apply to things that are already here on earth, things that I think are better measured objectively in terms of rarity.

The word value, it is to be observed, has two different meanings, and sometimes expresses the utility of some particular object, and sometimes the power of purchasing other goods which the possession of that object conveys. The one may be called "value in use"; the other, "value in exchange."

The things which have the greatest value in use have frequently little or no value in exchange; and, on the contrary, those which have the greatest value in exchange have frequently little or no value in use. Nothing is more useful than water: but it will purchase scarce anything; scarce anything can be had in exchange for it. A diamond, on the contrary, has scarce any value in use; but a very great quantity of other goods may frequently be had in exchange for it.

(Wealth of Nations Book 1, chapter IV.. Adam Smith).

I think objects have two kinds of value, as mentioned in the article. One is "value in use";The other, "value in exchange." Exchange value is evaluated based on other values such as collection value, or the rarity of the item in a comprehensive consideration.

“No design works unless it embodies ideas that are held common by the people for whom the object is intended.” Adrian Forty

What do you think this means?

Do you agree or disagree?

Can you connect it to studio and theory conversations?

This sentence should mean that the designer needs to design according to the ideas of the people represented by the design object, otherwise the design is meaningless.I agree with him, because when a designer can design an object to satisfy people, that is the meaning of designer's existence, otherwise anyone can be a designer. Studio and theory can help us better understand what designers do and the relevant theories and then help us to implement them.

Cultural Capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that you can tap into to demonstrate your cultural competence, and thus one's social status or standing in society
Pierre Bourdieu

In the 1970s Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist, developed the idea of cultural capital as a way to explain how power in society was transferred and social classes maintained. Karl Marx believed economic capital (money and assets) dictated your position in a social order. Bourdieu believed that cultural capital played an important, and subtle role. For both Marx and Bourdieu the more capital you have the more powerful you are.

What we need to do is based on our existing knowledge and skills, we need to have enough knowledge and skills to satisfy the conditions that we want to design.

Bourdieu identified three sources of cultural capital: objective, embodied and institutionalised

Objective: Historical relics
Embodied: Diet
Institutionalised: Holiday

Week 3

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