KARL MARX
myrna garsuta
Both a scholar and a political activist, Marx addressed a wide range of political as well as social issues, and is known for, among other things, his analysis of history. The interpretations of his theories, particularly those on political economy, have in the course of history generated decades of debate, inspired revolutions and cast him as both evil and deity in political and academic circles. Ian Hunt, the director of the Center for Applied Philosophy at the Flinders University of Southern Australia, who believes that Marx and his insights into the capitalist system in particular still have a place in contemporary society. He stated that “Marx’s thoughts on the exploitative nature of the relationship between capitalist employers and their employees ring true today. The proletariat, or those without property, continues to seek employment from those with property. Control over private investment continues to give the capitalist class decisive influence over government and sufficient control over the supply of labor to ensure that it is sold by employees on terms favorable to the increase of the wealth of employers.” Simon Tormey, the co-director of the Center for the Study of Social and Global Justice (CSSGJ) at Nottingham University, also believes Marx was ahead of time. Tormey said, “The world is pretty much how Marx described it 150 years ago, which is quite impressive in itself; this is to say that we now have a more or less integrated world capitalist system, with a global rich and global poor - - as Marx predicted. There is a huge exploitation across all societies – the proliferation of sweatshops and export processing zones are all very much in keeping with Marx’s account.” Yes this is very true not just in the US but around the world especially in the third world countries where workers who worked for low wages, long hours under poor conditions are mistreated badly. Tormey also explained that Marx’s theory of class struggle is hugely prevalent in today’s current economic atmosphere. He stated that; “There are workers there who have been denied trade union representation, who have been denied holiday pay, health care, and other benefits. Go into any business and you will see owners and workers – the owners cannot do without the workers and they want to pay them as little as they can for the most amount of product; the workers want the most they can get. This is class struggle.” “The bosses have the laws on their side, the politicians, the state, and the media; they are able to contain struggle so that it doesn’t disrupt society – for the most part. However, beyond the wealthy countries, the picture is very different. Open and violent struggles are commonplace in much of the world; strikes, lockouts, and beatings of workers in places like China, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, and violent peasant conflicts in places like Nandigram, India. Look around: class struggle is everywhere and infects almost every human relation.” |
Allison
capitalism, workers "tend" to be paid the bare amount required for
them to support their families and reproduce. This is because of
competition for jobs from the unemployed.The owner then sells the
product of the workers' labor at a price proportional to its value,
which is the socially necessary labor required to produce it. The only
difference though between what the product sells for and what the
workers are paid is surplus value and this is appropriated by the
owner or boss. And because the workers can't buy the full product of
their labor and the capitalists/owners don't consume all the surplus
value, there tend to be recessions. The concept just doesn't make
sense to me.