Marx: Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844
Estranged Labor
Key concepts to define:
*inorganic nature
*estrangement (later to be known as alienation)
*Ownership of the means of production
This article is from the very early writtings of Karl Marx, and although many of the concepts seen here sound familiar in terms of his life's work, they bare different words. (From estrangement to alienation is one example) The theories presented in this work, are therefore, to be taken at their face value for the relevance of this course, and not interpreted via one's deeper knowledge of Marx and his later works.
From the order of the text, Marx introduces the piece by stating that "the worker sinks to the level of a commodity" (106) and therefore becomes the "inverse proportion to power" (106). Essentially, this diagnosis stems from the worker alienating himself from the the material of his labor. The products that he produces are not for him, and therefore creates this speration between labor and its fruits. The effect this has on an individual is that they become seperated also from realization. The more man objectifies his labor, the less realization [of self] he has. Man's worth is in his labor, and by becoming estranged from the objects produced in labor, his worth decreases. This devaluation process occurs during the activity of production. Active producing of an object that is the mere tangible objectification of the process. This makes the "active production" takes the labor outside of man - in turn causing alienation.
The only non-alienating activity in man in this situation, is those actions that are related to the animal existence of the human species. Eating, sleeping etc.
The only thing that seperates man and animal is consciousness. How does this factor in with alienation, and the fact that the work is outside of the man himself? If man is conscious of his alienation, is he still any better off then an animal, if animal actions are the only thing he has that is of his true essence?
Marx goes on to discuss the 'product of labor' as something that holds power of man, and the act of production is also action alien to man in these terms of not owning the means of production.
Inorganic nature - is essentially that of which is not of the body, but that is natural. Anything that is natural (not man made) is considered inorganic nature - even though nature is found in human consciousness, it isnt ''of the body". Being "of the body" is in terms, the universality of man as species. All men of body are the same but do not share the same consciousness - as in nature.
When man is estranged from the inorganic nature, or body, he is seperating himself from not only self but from species as well. This alienation "changes for him the life of the species into a means of individual life." (112) By estranging man from species into the individual, he then changes the purpose of life and creates an abstract "estranged" form.
Marx then looks at the consequences of these actions of man in paradigmatic proportions. What happens when man seperates self from species? He says, that by doing so, he is therefore seperating himself from man, and essentially creating the paradigm of self and other. And only in the face of this "other" is he made aware of the estrangement from both man - or other - and species, leading to true alienation.
How does fit into the political and economic structure that is capitalist society?
By defining who these actions belong to, Marx clarifies where this new, estranged man, fits into the meta-structure.
He goes into discussing private property as the product of this type of labor, and not its cause. Private property is in essence, the product of alienated labor as well as the means of this alienation. Admitting that this is a cyclical and potential contradictory explanation, he claims that this is in effect because of the very nature of estranged labor.
And so, instead of wages being an exchange of labor value, it becomes a consequence of the sacrifice of self to the other. Increase of wages becomes nothing short of "better payment for the slave" (118) since all types of labor that alienates the self, is in essence forced labor.
And so, this is my deconstruction of Marx's "Estranged Labor"
There is one more page that i could go through, that ties this into the larger frame of society - but alas, the exam is in thirty minutes!
Estranged Labor
Key concepts to define:
*inorganic nature
*estrangement (later to be known as alienation)
*Ownership of the means of production
This article is from the very early writtings of Karl Marx, and although many of the concepts seen here sound familiar in terms of his life's work, they bare different words. (From estrangement to alienation is one example) The theories presented in this work, are therefore, to be taken at their face value for the relevance of this course, and not interpreted via one's deeper knowledge of Marx and his later works.
From the order of the text, Marx introduces the piece by stating that "the worker sinks to the level of a commodity" (106) and therefore becomes the "inverse proportion to power" (106). Essentially, this diagnosis stems from the worker alienating himself from the the material of his labor. The products that he produces are not for him, and therefore creates this speration between labor and its fruits. The effect this has on an individual is that they become seperated also from realization. The more man objectifies his labor, the less realization [of self] he has. Man's worth is in his labor, and by becoming estranged from the objects produced in labor, his worth decreases. This devaluation process occurs during the activity of production. Active producing of an object that is the mere tangible objectification of the process. This makes the "active production" takes the labor outside of man - in turn causing alienation.
The only non-alienating activity in man in this situation, is those actions that are related to the animal existence of the human species. Eating, sleeping etc.
The only thing that seperates man and animal is consciousness. How does this factor in with alienation, and the fact that the work is outside of the man himself? If man is conscious of his alienation, is he still any better off then an animal, if animal actions are the only thing he has that is of his true essence?
Marx goes on to discuss the 'product of labor' as something that holds power of man, and the act of production is also action alien to man in these terms of not owning the means of production.
Inorganic nature - is essentially that of which is not of the body, but that is natural. Anything that is natural (not man made) is considered inorganic nature - even though nature is found in human consciousness, it isnt ''of the body". Being "of the body" is in terms, the universality of man as species. All men of body are the same but do not share the same consciousness - as in nature.
When man is estranged from the inorganic nature, or body, he is seperating himself from not only self but from species as well. This alienation "changes for him the life of the species into a means of individual life." (112) By estranging man from species into the individual, he then changes the purpose of life and creates an abstract "estranged" form.
Marx then looks at the consequences of these actions of man in paradigmatic proportions. What happens when man seperates self from species? He says, that by doing so, he is therefore seperating himself from man, and essentially creating the paradigm of self and other. And only in the face of this "other" is he made aware of the estrangement from both man - or other - and species, leading to true alienation.
How does fit into the political and economic structure that is capitalist society?
By defining who these actions belong to, Marx clarifies where this new, estranged man, fits into the meta-structure.
He goes into discussing private property as the product of this type of labor, and not its cause. Private property is in essence, the product of alienated labor as well as the means of this alienation. Admitting that this is a cyclical and potential contradictory explanation, he claims that this is in effect because of the very nature of estranged labor.
And so, instead of wages being an exchange of labor value, it becomes a consequence of the sacrifice of self to the other. Increase of wages becomes nothing short of "better payment for the slave" (118) since all types of labor that alienates the self, is in essence forced labor.
And so, this is my deconstruction of Marx's "Estranged Labor"
There is one more page that i could go through, that ties this into the larger frame of society - but alas, the exam is in thirty minutes!
posted by Kelly at
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