...larger scale. Karl Marx observed and recorded the functions of society and how particular actions influenced and impacted individuals, groups and communities. Through his studies an emergence of social science was spawn. In relation to the term alienation, his manuscripts have depicted a framework of the effects stratification and economics, moreover, industrial capitalism bears upon people. That stated, Marx, segregated his theory into four levels, if you will. The alienation of labor being the second level, according to Marx (Hodson, 58). Consequently, the alienation of labor simply estranges the working force from the process of production. This process includes...
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...In observation of what would have been Karl Marx’s 200th birthday (if that was possible) Mr Motohiro Okada examines the some of the views of a certain economist. Karl Marx, one of the most noted and respected classical economist purported two main theories on labor and two centuries after his birth, his contributions to the topic and its continued use in economics is examined. Marx developed his views on economics from prior classical economist and so many of his doctrines, especially on labour, contradict the neoclassical economists that came at a time after him. Marx expressed his views on the measurement and different dimensions of labour and wages and the many factors that affect them. The main purpose of the presentation was to demonstrate Marx’s economic contributions specific; specifically his opinions on labour exchange and its validity in current economic perspectives which could prompt an intense opposition to the neoclassical views that were purported after his death. Okada focused on the working narratives between workers and the employers which Marx defined and as labour exchange and worker subjectivity. Using a thorough comparison of Marx and neoclassical economist, Okada demonstrated how a theory that is more than a century old is still being used as valid economic reasoning despite the world being presented with many contradictory...
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...Throughout Estranged Labour, Karl Marx depicts the divisions of a capitalist economy, splitting it into two distinct groups; the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production, and the proletariat, the workers who do not. He defines the means of production within society as everything needed for the creation of economic value. In an industrial society, this includes factory machinery and infrastructure, natural resources, and facilities. From this advantaged position, the bourgeoisie dictates the goals and incentives the prole finds in his workplace. These workplace incentives are structured in order to extract the maximum amount of surplus value from the worker, and this surplus value builds ownership’s assets. On the flip side, this arrangement...
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...This essay will discuss how Marxism has developed after Marx’s death. This will be done by discussing ideas interpreted by Karl’s followers which formed the ideology of Marxism. I will discuss Hegel and the dialectical method, Classical French political, social and revolutionary theory and Classical British Political Economy. I will also discuss how Marx’s work has influenced the works of Edward Bernstein, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. Karl Marx, born on 5th may 1818, was born into a middle class Jewish family. During his teenager years Marx studied law in the University of Bonn in 1835, until he transferred to the University of Berlin the following year to study his main interest of philosophy. During this time Karl started to work on his doctoral thesis, “some contrasts in the philosophies of Democritus and Epicurus” (Singer, P,. 2000, p-5). This was accepted in 1841 by the University of Jena. Marx became interested in journalism and began to write on philosophical, political and social issues for a new founded liberal newspaper, the Rhenish Gazette. Karl Marx also studied Hegel and the dialectical method. Hegel discussed the mode of production. This was about society and how it functions in the world of work. The bosses of the working class held the forces of production, for example owning factories and machines. However the working class held the relations of production, as they worked for the bosses to earn money for their families, using the skills that they held and...
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...tony.varley@nuigalway.ie Course Description: The classical sociological tradition has been heavily dominated by the writings of Marx, Weber and Durkheim. Each of these three theorists has carved out a distinctive approach to the study of society and, in the process, has contributed substantially to our understanding of the transition from pre-modern to modern society. There are many who would argue that the ideas of these three classical figures continue to have much to offer to an understanding of contemporary society and politics. There are several possible ways to study the ideas of Marx, Weber and Durkheim. In this course we will attempt to take a thematic and comparative approach by comparing the views of Marx, Weber and Durkheim on a number of central topics. We will look therefore at their ideas concerning the methods appropriate to the study of society, their views on class and the division of labour, on democratic politics and the state and on culture, religion and ideology. Our discussion will begin with a consideration of what a ‘classical’ tradition might look like in the social sciences; and of why Marx, Weber and Durkheim merit inclusion as the most significant members within such a tradition. For a fuller appreciation of the classical tradition in social theory there is no substitute for a reading of the original writings of Marx, Durkheim and Weber. As these writings are very extensive, we will rely on a number of commentaries – principally those by Morrison...
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...WOMEN UNIVERSITY IN AFRICA FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND GENDER DEVELOPMENT STUDIES PROGRAMME : MSc DEVELOPMENT STUDIES COURSE : PERSPECTIVES IN DEVELOPMENT INTAKE : 5 NAME : NOBUKHOSI NCUBE STUDENT ID : W120979 LECTURER : DR E.S MAKURA ASSIGNMENT: Karl Marx theory shed light on the understanding of relations of people in the society. Discuss. DUE DATE : 06 APRIL 2013. Karl Max’s theory shed light on the understanding of relations of people in the society. Discuss The epistemology of the Karl Marx theory is of the premise that the history of all existing societies is the history of class struggles. Scholars have had a long standing debate on the significance of Karl Marx’s theory of class conflict. The other party argues that the theory of class conflict helps in the understanding of relations of people in society. In contradiction, there are scholars who believe the theory does not help much in understanding societal relations. This essay seeks to establish how the Karl Marx Theory shed light on the understanding of relations of people in the society. In this context society is defined as a group of people in general living together in organized communities with laws and traditions controlling the way that they behave towards one another. Society is divided into three classes namely aristocrats in the upper class, bourgeoisie in the middle and the down liners...
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...Marx as a Racist Born on May 5, 1818, Karl Marx was the first son in the family to not die early. While his other older brothers had died of illness, Karl lived on and was thought of by his mother as a Gluckskind, or “child of fortune.” The Marx family was a middl3eclass family in the city of Trier. Karl, much like his father, had mental gifts. When he came of age his family shipped him to the University of Bonn for schooling. His father, a self-made attorney, implored Karl to study hard and attain knowledge for reaching steady employment. Instead of listening to his father, Karl squandered his father’s money and became engulfed in debt. Along with debt, Karl also indulged in drunkenness and even engaged in a duel. Karl chose to use his years at college learning Greek and Roman mythology. To add to his selfishness, after schooling Karl married much to his families’ consternation. Karl also refused to support his mother and sisters after his father had died. Karl grew disgusted at his mother and wanted her to die so he could gain her inheritance. There are many things Karl Marx did growing up that God’s Word speaks against. I believe Karl Marx proved early on just how selfish he was. In Ephesians 6:2 the Lord wishes us to honor our parents. There are also countless warnings about drunkenness and being in debt. But we must heed these warnings and not ignore them. Karl Marx was Jewish and raised a Lutheran so I believe he was taught proper morals. Often the choices...
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...A comparison between Adam Smith and Karl Marx The purpose of this essay is to evaluate and discuss how economists Adam Smith and Karl Marx contributed to current management practices and, more specifically, how they influenced the field of economics. Through critical analysis, we will explore the theories of Adam Smith and Karl Marx. Adam Smith’s contributions, from division of labor and the shift from a mercantile society to a capitalistic one as proposed in his “Wealth of nations report,” will be critically evaluated as to determine both their relevance today and the influence that they have had. Similarly, Karl Marx’s theories that helped to develop the economy in its most prosperous time will be critically evaluated to determine their influence and relevancy today. Although very distant in their theories and time, both men have played key roles in the development of economics, while in turn influencing current management practices. Both men were able to change and introduce new philosophies while reacting to the circumstances of their times, while creating legacies through their works that are still relevant in today’s vastly different circumstances and society. Adam Smith Scottish economist Adam Smith, born in 1723, is responsible for the initial development of economics in the eighteenth century and provided the framework for how we approach economic issues today. Smith was an “advocate for a free market society where international trade through both imports...
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...Concepts of Humanity Name: University Introduction Karl Marx largely criticized capitalism as a production and social construction method. He perceived capitalism as facilitating the relationships between people rather than between people and things (Hughes, 2003). He criticized capitalism because it supports private ownership of the means of production, thus widening the economic statuses between the rich and poor. Capitalism supports a system whereby the rich continues to exploit those with fewer resources to own production methods in the country. This essay seeks to discuss how Karl Marx perceives the modern world by analyzing his theoretical contexts of the issue of capitalism. Discussion Karl Marx perception of capitalism is that it is a tool innovated by the high economic status people, including politicians and successful business people, to control production methods, thus maintaining the status quo (Varul, 2013). The implication of capitalism on the middle and low class people is that they find hard to experience upward mobility in the society because they lack the opportunity to improve their economic statuses in the society. In this context, technology plays a small role in determining production as compared to the ownership of production processes. Financially resourceful people own and control the production processes in ways that give little or no chance for the middle and low class people to experience social mobility. Marxists opinions suggest that historical...
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...This essay intends to identify and explain the basis of the critical political economy approach to media analysis. This task will be achieved by first delivering a brief historical overview of this scholarly discipline. Additionally, and by way of a thorough inquiry of the pertinent literature, this paper will highlight the critical boundaries of this Marxist social theory. Moreover, this essay will contend that in an attempt to overcome these perceived limitations, contemporary proponents of the critical political economy of the media have in fact adopted a conciliatory position with the cultural studies approach. Indeed, this paper will deliver an understanding of the emergence of critical theory in social analysis. Consequently, through...
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...The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx, explains what it means to be a communist nation. According to Marx, a communist nation will allow everyone to own the land, everyone is responsible to work, and the state will control communications and transports. Marx said a communist nation will do and be much more but those list above are a few main points. The opposite of communism is capitalism, which is where private owners, rather than the state, control a country's trade and industry for profit. The United States of America is not communist but capitalist because America does not share land between citizens, does not force the disabled to work, and Americans can communicate how they please and ship their goods wherever. The United States of America allows citizens to own private property, unlike communist nations that Marx describes in his essay. In a communist nation, the nation will have an “abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes,” according to Marx. This means that there will be no private property but just public land which the people work. America does allow citizens to own land, and then use it for private purposes. There are private property rights in the Constitution, the fourth Amendment, regarding that individuals may hold and exercise their property, even if it is against the government itself. In a capitalist nation, the people are allowed free enterprise which Americans can do and communists cannot. Therefore...
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...ESSAY – ‘What is the Marxist theory of the state and how might it be criticised?’ Introduction Marxism first arose in 1987 when Marx and Engels were commissioned to write the manifesto for the political party of radical workers, The Communist League; this political party was formed in order to create a unity of the ‘working men’, in favour of the creation of a classless society. The purpose of The Communist Manifesto, and much of Marx’s early writings on the state, was to promote social change, in refutation to Hegel’s theory of the dialetic. This is achieved through the construction of a materialist interpretation of the state as ‘the active, conscious and official expression (of) the present structure of society' (Collected Works, 3, p. 199). Marx’s ultimate aim was to “lay bare the economic law of motion of modern society.” (Marx, Capital [1867] 1965, p10), which is to… This essay will explain and analyse Marx’s theory of state, a nd assess the legitimacy of the theory through criticisms. Marx’s theory of history/state: History is a study of past events in human affairs; Marx believes that historical events are driven forward by changing economic factors within the ‘base’ of society. According to Marx, human society is made up of two measures: a base and a superstructure. The superstructure is the set of 'non-economic institutions whose character is explained by the nature of the economic structure (the base).' (G. A. Cohen Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence pp 216...
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...Canada, exploitation in the workplace occurs daily. Exploitation can be defined as the utilization of another person for selfish purposes (William Morris, 2000). Since the rise of the social structure Capitalism, there has been a distinctive split between two classes of people – the bourgeoisie and proletarian (Karl Marx, 1848). To some, capitalism is the ‘end-all be-all ‘ social system, but these people are more than likely one of the fortunate few who have benefitted from it. By the fortunate few I mean the bourgeoisie class - the owners of the means of production. They own the capital and the resources (factories, farms, stores) to grow their wealth further, but they need labor to do so. Then there is the proletariat class - the labor. I reference them as the labor because in order to feed their families, they need money, and they have no means to make money other then to sell their labor. It is between these two classes that exploitation occurs. The bourgeoisies offer the lowest wages that the proletariats are willing accept, that way the bourgeoisie consume all the available profit for themselves. This exploitation is prevalent in the Canadian workplace. In this essay, I will investigate how the Canadian capitalistic structure exploits its workers today. The reality of this structure capitalism is there will always be this exploitation from the ruling class (the bourgeoisie), but this will change as the process of proletarianization (more and more member of society become...
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...Discussion Questions for Smith vs. Marx (October 8, 2013 pp. 134-165) An Essay on the Background of Business Ethics: Ethics, Economics, Law and the Corporation 1. What is philosophy? A conversation. 2. What is "philosophical ethics"? A conversation about conduct, the doing of good, and the avoiding of evil. 3. What is "business ethics"? A conversation about right and wrong conduct in the business world. 4. Business ethics was once known as “the world’s most famous oxymoron” until about thirty years ago. What happened to change that view? Newspaper headlines of foreign bribes, Wall Street scandals, exploding cars, whistleblower conflicts and civil rights in the workplace allowed the view that value questions are never absent from business decisions to come into play and that moral responsibility is the first requirement of a manager in any business. From then on, it has become the general consensus that a thorough grounding in ethical reasoning is essential preparation for a career in business. 5. How was the “ruling class” defined in the seventeenth century according to Karl Marx? The ruling class in every age is the group that owns the means of production of the age’s product. In the 17th century, the product was almost exclusively agricultural and the means of production was almost exclusively agricultural land; landowners were the aristocrats and rulers. With the coming of commerce and industry, the owners of the factories joined the ruling class...
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...Explain how the four thinkers discussed in term one understand the notion of identity Hegel understands identity through the notion of self-consciousness, which he argues “exists in and for itself when, and by the fact that, it so exists for another; that is, it exists only in being acknowledged” (Hegel:p111). So Hegel believed in order to know who we are we need the recognition of another, we therefore need to be acknowledged to have an identity. He then goes on to talk about the struggle for recognition, which takes place when the self and the other come together, in doing so making self-consciousness possible (OnlineSparknotes:2011). Hegel explains the realisation of self-conscious as a struggle for recognition between two individuals, who are bound together in an unequal relationship of dependence. So in order for an individual to know they exist they must enter into a life and death struggle with a second conscious this struggle has to be to the death because in risking its life the self is demonstrating it rational status, “that it has power over the realm of mere biological life and its animal desires” (Beiser:2005,p187) however in doing this the self-conscious has to realise that by eliminating its other they will in effect be eliminating them self also, because without them both there would be no one to be recognised by. Therefore the only solution is for one to dominate over the other by reducing it to a ‘thing like’ status. Hegel explains this process using the Lord...
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