 Karl Marx

Who is Karl Marx?  Karl Marx is a German philosopher who is famously known for starting the revolution of the idea of socialism. Karl was born 5 May 1818 in a town called Trier in Germany and only started to study philosophy until he was in college. He received much inspiration from many thinkers such as Adam smith, Friedrich Engels, David Ricardo and many more. Most of his inspiration was from Friedrich Engels’s book The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844 which brought to his attention the separation of classes (the poor and the rich). Some of Karl’s more popular writings include: The Communist Manifesto, Das Kapital, and materialist conception of history.

Alienated Labor:  Karl believed that the idea of industrialized capitalism lead to the change of an individual’s labor. An individual’s work was no longer a form of creation but a form of exploitation in the new idea of industrialized capitalism. An individual works for himself; the items he produces give the individual monetary gain and professional fulfillment this is the idea of the individuals work. However when the individual is put into an assembly line both factors are taken from the individual, giving them no motivation to improve or astride to be the best. Marx derived that creativity is the biggest factor in human labor and that on the work floor of a capitalistic company that factor was deprived from the individual. He concluded that this type of labor alienated people from their own labor and themselves as well effectively dehumanizing the individual.

What is the difference between how people live outside of their roles as workers versus in their roles as workers?  According to Marx, only outside of work can a man be himself and feel at home. At work, the more a man puts into his labors, the less of himself there is. He is a slave to his labors and the natural materials required for his labors.

What is the difference between personal property and private property and the motivation to produce each?  To Marx, personal property is who you are; it’s not physical until it is put into work. Private property is the consequence of work. You were coerced to work and therefore created an item for others or received a wage for yourself. During leisure time one finds himself and therefore personal property is created. Private property is created in the attempt to increase ones standing in life.

What are objectification and alienation of labor?  The worker is used to provide labor to produce commodities. The more labor he supplies, the more that labor becomes an input (a piece of the product.) This results in the embodiment of the labor in the material form, which is the objectification of labor. The alienation of the worker is based on the concept that the more the worker puts into the things he makes, the more pointless his life becomes. To the worker, his labor becomes an impersonal object that opposes itself to him as a more powerful opponent; as a result the worker sees the object as hostile and alien. (He hates the very object that he creates because he is not fulfilled by it)

What does Marx mean when he says that the worker becomes poorer the more he produces?  Because the more the worker produces the product, the more his product increases in power and volume. The more reliant we become on the world of things, the more the human world is devalued. “The object produced by man’s labor now confronts him in the shape of an alien thing, a power independent of the producer.” The workers labor becomes a cheap commodity compared to the wealth of the product thus decreasing the worker’s chance to enjoy the capital of the product. Marx compares this to religion stating that “the more man puts into God, the less he retains in himself.” The worker puts his life into the things he makes, which takes his life away from him and is now in possession of the product of his labor.

4. What were five points Marx made when he discussed his concept of alienated labor?  1. the more the worker produces, the less he has to consume.  2. the more value he creates, the more worthless he becomes.  3. the more his product is shaped, the more misshapen the worker.  4. the more civilized his object, the more barbarous the worker.  5. the more powerful the work, the more powerless the worker