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This paper shows that the Smith-Ricardo and the Keynes principles of reducing various kinds of work to any one kind assume the stability of the hierarchy of wages, which allows the stable expression of labor demand in common units. The comparison made by agents of their relative earnings, and the competition consequently generated, mark the starting point of stability of the hierarchy of wages. However, these principles of reduction are not based on robust theory. Changes in the distribution and composition of capital, on the one hand, and changes in qualifications on the other, could destabilize the hierarchy of wages. This requires reconsideration of the notion of value of work.