ABSTRACT
In political economy one must distinguish at all times, and this observation applies to the entire work of Mr. Ricardo, two types of value, one intrinsic, the other relative; one comes into being by production, the other by competition; one is the relation of the produced good to the labor which created it, the other the relation of the good to the demand of those who need it. The estimation of these two values can be compared in the determination of the net income. But, without dwelling on these fundamental differences, even though they endanger Mr. Ricardo’s entire system, the authors will dispute his conclusions in his very own way of reasoning. As agricultural labor is the only one sufficient to sustain life, so also is it the only one which can be evaluated without any exchange. The soil can supply to a man all that he needs to live while he cultivates the land.
