Hi Marielle, it is my pleasure to interact with you and I appreciate you bringing attention to these interesting topics of meaning, value, cognition, etc.
I fully agree with you that price of commodities and the value of things don’t necessarily match up—and that while a price (entailing a compensation-exchange) may have a meaning (cheap! expensive! fair! rich! poor! indicating the status of the object or the holder), the domain of what we find meaningful is not reducible to these terms of exchange.
What I value means something to me. If I value it enough, I am willing to pay for it. But my available money is a limited resource, so it has to mean enough for me to part with a portion of this power I have as a consumer to buy things. However, there are many things I value which I don’t necessarily have to pay for. In fact, it is better (they retain their meaning) when I don’t pay for them. However, there may be another kind of exchange entailed…
For example, a conversation is an exchange of valuable information, ideas, feedback, or simply a feeling of shared resonance and presence. Maybe that is what we are doing here?
I am glad you have posted your “Movement in the Static” scribezines, which I referred to above. I enjoy the quirkiness and braininess combined in exploring theories of mind.