...Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts (1844a) Marx explains that there are four aspects of alienated labour under capitalism. Wolff (2002, p. 29) writes: “The basic idea [of alienation] is that two things which belong together come apart” [1]. I shall be examining the four forms of alienated labour indicated by Marx in his Manuscripts and I will be using the concept of ‘unalienated labour’ as a tool to clarify what Marx meant by ‘alienated labour’. For, as Ollman puts it: “Alienation can only be grasped as the absence of unalienation, each state serving as a point of reference for the other. And for Marx, unalienation is the life man leads in communism” [2]. Marx explains that the capitalist alienates the products of labour from the workers by forcing them to produce products for both him and the buying public. But, according to Marx, since there would be no private property under communism, it is there that man would then be free to express his individuality through production (Marx, 1844b, p. 278). I will argue that although some will remain unconvinced by Marx’s theory of alienated labour because it relies on what they see as Marx’s warped conception of human nature, the theory is still useful to those struggling to understand the difficulties imposed on them by capitalist society. The first category of alienated labour analysed by Marx is: alienation from the product of labour. Under capitalism the workers produce products, but Marx argues they are alienated from the products...
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...Karl Marx states capitalism distorts human’s relationships with the environment. Over two centuries later, such a situation is apparent in the Green Revolution in Amazon. In fact, capitalism distorts human nature and welfare (Rizer 2011). Marx theory on capitalism effects on the environment explains the environmental crisis of the Green Revolution. Aristotle is a materialist (Rist 1996). Aristotle theory on science separates into two categories which are functional developmental essentialism and property essentialist (Rist 1997). The two parts of the essentialism is known as the Natural Slate Model. For essentialism, diversity is unimportant only the ideal is important (McLaughlin 2015). Aristotle theory of progress states an interfering force cause deviation from the linear view of time. Christians explanation for deviation was effect of God and interbreeding (Greenwood 1984). The Enlightenment cause people to believe the ideology of progress was not definite and based on God or any super nature force. The enlightenment produced a great thinker Hegel, and most importantly Hegel heavily influence Marx’s view on history. Hegel believe that history is composed of clash of ideas called called the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. The thesis and antithesis leads to a synthesis. Marx views the whole of history as class struggle. Marx theory of human nature was based on critique of Hegel, which states changes in human life are beyond human control and humans are abstract individuals...
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...Alienation is a concept that describes an isolated and separated circumstance in the workplace. Browne (2011:380) notes “Alienation is the condition where workers have no job satisfaction or fulfillment from their work”. Alienation could cause some severe consequences. In 2010, thirteen employees, who worked for a Chinese company—Foxconn, committed suicided. (BBC) In this case, it is possible that the suicide event is due to that Foxconn is the assembly line of Apple, which means it is technology employed. Mitra (2010:11) points out that as the technology becomes more sophisticated, the level of alienation, which results from technology, becomes higher. The main purpose of this essay is to examine how far the complexity of the technology employed is the prime cause of alienation in the work place. It will first consider the Marx’s main points about alienation, and it will then compare that to the main ideas of Blauner’s theory. After that, it will analyse Gallie’s thesis of alienation. Marx’s theory indicates that alienation is objective. Which means alienation is there even if the workers do not feel be alienated, and it is physical. Craib (1997:88) disputes that Marxist’s thesis of alienation is the way that human lose their power and are alienated from our world. Edgell (2012) deems that“ For Marx, alienation is rooted in the structure of industrial capitalism”. This shows that capitalism is the significant cause of alienation in Marx’s theory. Moreover, Marxist perspectives...
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...“Explore the ideas of Karl Marx, discussing his theories and views toward capitalism. Discuss how these matters compare to modern day economic conditions, and consider the ethical and sustainability matters that are raised for today's managers.” Karl Marx; an economist, sociologist, revolutionary and historian, whose theories continue to influence economic thought for managers today. Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5,1818 – March 14, 1883) put forth many theories with regards to economics, politics and society that established the base on which Marxism was formed. His critique of the philosophies of other theorists and critical analysis of capitalism has influenced economic perception, and contributed largely toward the current understanding of capital and labour and the relationship that exists. In Karl Marx’s criticism of capitalism, he discussed many social matters such as ‘alienation’, the dominance by the ‘bourgeoisie’ over the ‘proletariat’; issues with regard to labour, such as the de-skilling and dehumanisation of workers as technological advances came about and capitalists strived to maximise ‘surplus value’ through the ‘exploitation’ of human labour. Although times have changed and this type of work environment is not as common, it is still an ever present situation in places such as China and India where cheap labour is employed to maximise the return for those in ‘control’. Advancements in technology continue, to the extent where the duties of workers can be performed...
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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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...One of the few problems however is the fact that some Domestic workers will not be able to obtain a higher level of work and an example is a janitor in his 60’s. The position will easily be replaced for a cheaper labor and it will be harder to obtain a higher level position as they are not experienced in the field and younger workers will be more preferred. The articles summarizes that both the American workers and the American economy has profited from the poor immigrant workers. If immigrants were not there to fill the work that most people will not want to do, then the domestic workers will have to do those jobs and there wouldn’t be enough employees available to new job opportunities. Having immigrant workers mean that more job positions with a higher wage will be available and therefore providing individuals and the economy with more money. After looking at both Smith's and Marx theories, I personally believe that smith's ideas work better in this situation even though Marx is also right about some of the things in the...
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...A Study of Alienation among Knowledge Workers Submission of Thesis Proposal Nisha Nair Doctoral candidate Organizational Behavior Area Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) India Email: nishan@iimahd.ernet.in Telephone +91-79-6632-6216 Mobile: +91-9327309000 Advisor Information Dr. Neharika Vohra Organizational Behavior Area Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) ‘The hidden conflict between the knowledge workers view of himself as a professional and the social reality in which he is the upgraded well paid successor to the skilled worker of yesterday, underlies the disenchantment of so many highly educated young people with the jobs available to them’ - (Drucker, 1969, p 259) Knowledge workers (KWs) are thought to be the engines of growth of the new economy (Yigitcanlar, Baum & Horton, 2007) and the key strategic and competitive resources of today’s organizations (O’Neill & Adya, 2007). Considerable attention has been directed to the analysis of knowledge work and knowledge intensive firms in recent years (Alvesson, 1995, 2001; Burton-Jones, 1999; Donnelly, 2006; Swan & Scarborough, 2001). Because of the emphasis on human capital in knowledge-intensive firms (Edvinsson & Malone, 1997), where tacit knowledge residing within workers is the chief asset of the organization, it has become imperative to retain KWs and ensure their continued commitment to the organization. Davenport et al. (2002) observe that companies cannot...
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...The Hidden Parts Everything is hidden. One watches the movies, reads the literature and even looks at the arts but does not really look at the true meaning behind all of this. The hidden theme. Alienation. “It is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship” (Kalekin, 1) Many may have heard of Marx theory. Karl Marx, a well known philosopher in the twentieth century went and pursued his calling. “[His] works inspired the foundation of many communist regimes” (“Karl”, 1). Istvan Meszaros clearly states Marx theory on the origination of alienation in a way that no man can ever forget. “It must be made equally clear, however, that such influences are exercised in the dialectical sense of ‘“continuity in discontinuity”’ (Meszaros, 1). There is very much “continuity in discontinuity” in literature, media, and the arts of today. In Mary Shelley’s book, Frankenstein, the hideous ‘monster’ that was created by Victor Frankenstein was frowned upon, fled from, and even abandoned by his own creator. This shows the inhumanity that society shows towards those who are different. “There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies?” (Shelley, 115) The creature had merely a different look, but his emotions and desires were no different than any other human: love, companionship, and a sense of belonging. Many cast him away because his looks rang out evil. "I am alone...
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...Karl Marx and Marxism Karl Marx set the wheels of modern Communism and Socialism in motion with his writings in the late nineteenth century. In collaboration with his friend, Heinrich Engels, he produced the The Communist Manifesto, written in 1848. Many failed countries' political and socio-economic structures have been based on Marx's theories, for example the USSR, East Germany etc. Many people believe that Marxism is not applicable to today's society, as Karl Marx put forward his ideas not anticipating the type of society we have today. The welfare state system has effectively nullified Marx's arguments, and made them irrelevant. Karl Marx, born on May 5, 1818, died on March 14, 1883, was a German economist, philosopher and revolutionist whose writings form the basis of the body of ideas known as Marxism. In his youth he was deeply affected by the philosophy of G.W.F. Hegel, and joined a rebel group called the Young Hegelians, which contributed ideas towards the movement against organized religion and the Prussian Autocracy. Later on in life, he was influenced by the writings of Ludwig Feuerbach, who wrote that God was invented by humans as a projection of their own ideals, and that in creating such a 'perfect' being, in contrast to themselves, mankind lowered themselves to lowly, evil creatures who needed guidance from the church and government. He said that, in creating God in their own image, humans had 'alienated themselves from themselves.' ...
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...Negation of the Negation (EPM 102; 113-114) Commentary Throughout his Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, Karl Marx makes a strong argument for communism as a means for human kind to realize its true nature and essence. In short: communism is what is “right” for mankind, through the annulment of private property, as the genuine resolution of conflict between man and nature, and between man and man. Under the existing socioeconomic structure, our natural urges and desires are despised as we are forced to conform to a set means of living in order to financially be sustainable. Through this capitalist process, we are forced to reject our own bodies as the frailties of flesh. According to Marx, this...
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...transplant, analyze its social and economic effects in the United States and evaluate the problem and a possible solution using economic sociology principles. Social and Economic Costs Currently, there are over 100,000 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in the United States. (National Kidney Foundation, 2014) Patients have to wait anywhere between 5 to 10 years for a deceased organ. While they wait for available organs, most patients endure a four-hour session in a dialysis center three times per week. In 2009, the annual cost of taking care of an ESRD patient is around $70,000. The total cost was estimated to be over $40 billion. (USA Today, 2009) Because of Medicare rules written in the 1970’s, hemodialysis is a covered service, and no politician who desires to be re-elected will ever suggest eliminating hemodialysis coverage despite the cost. Aside from the financial cost, ESRD results in significant morbidity and mortality. Individuals with no chronic kidney disease are more likely than those with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3 to 5 to be alive 1 year after a heart attack. (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse,...
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...There are clear gender differences in religious belief and participation; while priesthoods of most religions are male which means women are more likely to participate in activities and have belief in god and the supernatural. For example in 2005 1.8 million women in England were church goers, compared to just 1.36 million men. Miller and Hoffman (1995) found women express greater interest in religion; they have a greater personal commitment and go to church more. They found that this was true for all religious organisations, ages and faiths. Bruce (1996) estimated there are twice as many women than men in sects. Heelas and Woodhead (2005) found in their study of Kendal 80% of holistic milieu participants were female. This shows that gender differences can be linked to the way men and women see god; as a god of power and control or a god of love and forgiveness. Sociologists have given several arguments for gender differences in religious belief and practice. Miller and Hoffman argue women are more religious as they’re socialised to be more passive, obedient and caring. Religion values all of these characteristics, thus women are more likely than men to be attracted to religion. Miller and Hoffman also argue that women are more likely than men to be employed in part time work or be full time carers, thus they have more time to organise around religious activities. Greely argues taking care of other family member’s increases women’s religiosity as they have responsibility to their...
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...Commodity Fetishism vs. Capital Fetishism Marxist Interpretations vis-à-vis Marx’s analyses in Capital Dimitri Dimoulis and John Milios Abstract In Marx’s analysis of the Capitalist Mode of Production and more precisely in his theory of value, the key to decipher the capitalist political and ideological practices and structures is to be found. In this context, many Marxists believed that the analysis of “commodity fetishism” in Section 1 of Volume 1 of Capital renders the basis for understanding ideological domination and political coercion under the capitalist rule. The authors argue, that “commodity fetishism” is only a preliminary notion, which allows Marx to arrive, in subsequent Sections of Capital, at the concept of the “fetishism of capital”. 1. Introduction From the days of his youth Marx was familiar with the statements of ethnographers on the subject of fetishism and used the term in his own writings.1 Equally important was in this context the influence of Hegel.2 In this paper we are not going to deal with the different meanings that the notion of fetishism acquires at different points of Marx’s work, an issue which is related to the various concepts of fetishism in political economy, political philosophy and the social sciences.3 We will focus on the analysis of commodity fetishism, in an effort to contribute to the comprehension of the different dimensions of this concept, especially in Marx’s Capital. For this purpose, we will pursue the following course:...
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...resort to taking their own lives (Schaefer, 10). Therefore, he advocated the creation of social groups between the family and the state to provide a sense of belonging for members of a society (Schaefer, 10). Durkheim is linked to the structural functionalist perspective. Its main focus is on how people and institutions serve as a function. As long as every person and institution does this, there will be order and stability within society. This leads back to his idea that behavior cannot be understood in individualistic terms, but within a larger social context. He believed that anomie could be avoided by creating a sense of belonging between the family and the state. Karl Marx focused on economic and political relations of power. He studied the conflicts between the working class and owning class. Alienation refers to the separation between the worker and the work process (Schaefer, 11). For example, workers going on strike feel separated from the work process. By...
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...February 27, 2012 SOC 200 Karl Marx Growing up in communist Romania in the 70’s and 80’s, deprived of the most basic liberties, as young children we were indoctrinated with communist ideas and schools were used merely as platforms in which curriculum strictly controlled with the purpose of instilling in youth communist principles. Karl Marx’s portrait would hang in every classroom above the old blackboard and his theories were studied and celebrated in every history book, literature book, economics, or any book for that matter. Sociology and Psychology were considered pseudo-sciences under the communist reign and therefore forbidden in schools. As Romanian history books were altered from the truth, describing only his greatest achievements and never the flaws, for the purpose of this project I was rather intrigued to research Karl Marx – I hated him for so many years - and take a really close look at who he actually was, and how he impacted the study of Sociology. I knew that he established the basis of communist ideology, and I have lived for twenty years through the atrocities committed by his followers, but I never really had the interest ( until now) to understand what influenced and drove him into envisioning and writing his proposals for change. Karl Marx was born in 1818 in the German Rhineland (Prussia). He was a philosopher, journalist and economist and even though he produced little that earned him money or recognition during...
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