I The motivation of the capitalist
The ‘general formula’ for capital is M–C–M′; put into words, value is cast into circulation in order that a greater sum be extracted from it. This greater sum is created by production but realised in circulation. The ‘in order’ in the previous sentence is important here: what the capitalist is interested in is the excess value over that advanced. Other than being the means to this end the capitalist is disinterested in the product as a product; she is also disinterested in ‘the different roles that [...] [the] components [of the capital advanced] will play in the production of surplus-value.’ The capitalist is disinterested in these two things because it makes no difference to what she does as a capitalist: independently of her initial intentions, a capitalist producing commodities cannot survive as a capitalist – cannot continue to produce commodities – without producing surplus-value; and, in order to do this, the capitalist needs to advance capital in the form of means of production and labour-power and recuperate the cost of this capital advanced in addition to realising a surplus (i.e. profit).
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