Karl Marx’s “Estranged Labour” details the ruthless system that is ‘The Money System.’\u00a0 This system strikes chords similar to those of Thomas Hobbes’ theory on the state of nature where every human is in competition with one another; Marx states that “the political economy promotes greed and competition amongst the greedy” ((Marx, Estranged Labour, 1844))\u00a0 which adds a layer of economy to Hobbes’ theory.\u00a0 However, Marx takes it yet another step forward by asserting the dehumanization of those who work in industry.\u00a0 He asserts “The worker puts his life into the object; but now his life no longer belongs to him but to the object” ((Marx, Estranged Labour, 1844)) and “the greater this product, the less is he himself.” ((Marx, Estranged Labour, 1844))In both these statements, Marx is alluding to the loss of individual identity within the confines of industry, as the owners of these industries are only concerned with the money they will be making through these people, and not their individual interests.<\/p>\n
Marx could not be more correct with making these assumptions of the human identity.\u00a0 As individuals become more engrossed in their mundane work, they lose what makes them different from others.\u00a0 With this loss of identity comes the loss of a person’s interests in the workplace; their industrial occupations have become mind-numbing tasks that have become solely a means for currency; there is no other purpose for them to be at the job aside from providing a way of survival.<\/p>\n
Although Marx’s summations of industry are grim, they are true.\u00a0 One can even see Marx’s assertions about the individual working\u00a0in industry\u00a0in today’s world with entry level jobs found in food service or retail sale; many people work those jobs for no other benefit than accruing cash.\u00a0 How many people actually worked at McDonalds over the summer because they loved being around those deep fryers all day?\u00a0 A single person’s interests are not a priority in the eyes of big businesses; their goal is to make as much money at as little cost as possible.<\/p>\n
How, if at all possible, could industry conditions be improved?\u00a0 What implications would this have on the entire industrial system?<\/p>\n
Also as a side note it was unclear to me what Marx explained in section XXV of this reading where he wrote about who owns the product of labor.\u00a0 I understand it was somewhat abstract, but could somebody please clarify the first few paragraphs for me?\u00a0 Specifically the concept of the ‘alien being.’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Karl Marx’s “Estranged Labour” details the ruthless system that is ‘The Money System.’\u00a0 This system strikes chords similar to those of Thomas Hobbes’ theory on the state of nature where every human is in competition with one another; Marx states … Continue reading