labor power

is that which the working man sells to the capitalist. It is that whose temporary disposal he makes over to the capitalist. Slavery is just such a sale whose time comprises a lifetime.

What the working man sells is not directly his Labor, but his Laboring Power, the temporary disposal of which he makes over to the capitalist. This is so much the case that I do not know whether by the English Law, but certainly by some Continental Laws, the maximum time is fixed for which a man is allowed to sell his laboring power. If allowed to do so for any indefinite period whatever, slavery would be immediately restored. Such a sale, if it comprised his lifetime, for example, would make him at once the lifelong slave of his employer. Karl Marx

is the total mental and physical capabilities that lie in the human body and personality which are put into motion whenever man produces something.

According to Marx, labor-power is 'the aggregate of those mental and physical capabilities existing in the physical form, the living personality, of a human being, capabilities which he sets in motion whenever he produces a use-value of any kind.' (From Spark, no page, Capital)

 cannot be stored in warehouses after the capitalist has bought it, as he may do with the raw material.

The capitalist cannot store labour-power in warehouses after he has bought it, as he may do with the raw material. Karl Marx

's value is the value of the means of subsistence necessary for the maintenance of its owner.

Labor-power's value comes from the amount of labor-time needed to produce and reproduce itself. 'The value of labor-power is the value of the means of subsistence necessary for the maintenance of its owner.' ' Spark

is the vantage from which tailoring and weaving equivalent in that they are both a productive expenditure of human brains, muscles, nerves, hands.

Tailoring and weaving, although they are qualitatively different productive activities, are both a productive expenditure of human brains, muscles, nerves, hands, etc' (Marx 1990:134)

labor power, n.All

labor power