Abstract In the tradition of Classical Political Economy, empirical studies of labor values and prices ask whether labor-value vectors are close to observed market-price vectors. This paper examines the mechanisms that generate such proximity in input-output systems by uncovering the structural features of the linear production system determining the relevant distance. We use the recent […]
Continue ReadingFix, ‘‘Testing’ the Labor Theory of Value with Metaphysical Alchemy’
‘Testing’ the Labor Theory of Value with Metaphysical Alchemy BLAIR FIX March 2026 Economists have developed a timeworn algorithm for ‘testing’ untestable theories: they take what they can observe, which is usually monetary value, and declare that it measures what they cannot observe. I call this algorithm ‘metaphysical alchemy’. Here, I explore how Marxists use […]
Continue Reading

