According to Marx, How Does Capitalism Alienate Workers?

SS 2029 Basic Sociology 2011-2012 (Semester A) Individual verge Paper CHEUNG Kai-HO (52596777) 7. According to Marx, how does capitalism alienate doers? How did Marx feel that workers could oercome their disaffection? 1. Abstract Alienation, a stipulation used to describe the feeling of no connection with otherwises or the separation from former attachment. When it comes to sociologist aspect, especially on Marxism, this term describes the stage of losing ones identity. To Karl Marxs belief, Alienation doer the loss of control over the process and product of work (Bell, 1959).Thus, under the capitalism, workers ar change by the production system. 2. Content A First and foremost, from Marxs point of regard, madness is the eventual bycome of capitalism. Capitalism itself is based on a closes of production, as give tongue to by Marx. The capitalists protest the capital, materials, properties for the production, as salutary as the products. The capitalists get out then put the products in permutation with money and hence, exonerate profit. As capitalists can decide the salaries of workers, they volition in all likelihood pay as dinky as they can, so as to gain the largest profit.Without the force out of stopping point, workers defecate no choice but to earn their livings by selling their agitate force. These create what indicated by Marx as the capitalist mode of production. Marx as well explained that capitalists argon the bourgeoisie class while workers argon the project class. Production process and output are controlled by bourgeoisie. Workers shake up little say on their admit will. As mentioned by Michael Curtis, man is enslaved by the system of goods and commodities that he produces.Therefore, capitalism can gain the domination over the production as well as the workers and trigger dementia. In Marxs vision, there are quaternity aspects in his theory of monomania. According to his writing, sparing & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, alienation means that workers are alienated from the process of production, the products they produced, species world and other workers. a) In the first aspect, alienation of workers and process of production, workers are alienated from the work itself.As mentioned above, workers have to work under the capitalist mode of production, which means that they have little or even no say on how they should automobilery out the process of work. Unlike other professions, workers cannot decide running(a) hours, salaries, working(a) mathematical operations they are involved. Take Jorn Bramanns example as an illustration, artists relatively have greater freedom on how they want to work. Not precisely do they have the choice of working hour, but besides the working direction. Therefore, workers are alienated for the work they are involved.They cannot imbibe the decision on the way they work. Besides, workers are alienated under the process of production as capitalism follow th e using of division of chore. Take a car manufacturing plant as an example, the products, which obviously cars, consists of a great number of components. For example, engines, wheels, doors, promontory lights, rear view mirrors. The process of producing a car is apparently include however, after the using of division of labor, the work process is then flummox easier. Each worker should be responsible for one repeated sectionalization nevertheless.Thus, Marx noticed the problem in this kind of production. He mentioned that alienated workers have to canalise out repeated, less interesting, machine-like rigid procedure. They have to work in same position on the lines of production. Marx saw this phenomenon as domination. Workers are also forced to use machinery so as to perform production comfortably but Marx again noticed a problem in it. He believed that workers are no thirster the user of machines while machines are designed to be extensions of workers. Hence, workers are e ventually losing themselves from the repeated working method.Alienation is then sparked sullen by capitalisms way of production. b) In the second aspect, alienation of workers and their products, workers cannot decide what they produce. In the past, such as medieval age, blacksmiths, bakery owners, turn makers and many other producers could decide what they produce, how they produce, as well as the record of the products. The most important part is that, the final outputs of production belonged to the producers, whether sell them or not was totally depended on them.But in Marxs time, factory owners, which mean capitalists, paid money to workers in return of labor force to carry out productions. Let aside the boring rigid production actions, the products belonged to the factory owners, not the workers. Workers had no control over the products and what products should they produce. So, Marx stated that this was one of the four aspects of alienation. Furthermore, this alienation als o creates a negative effect on workers. In Marxs writing Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, he say alone these consequences are implied in the statement that the worker is related to the product of labor as to an alien design. For on this premise it is clear that the more the worker spends himself, the more powerful becomes the alien world of objects which he creates over and against himself, the poorer he himself his inner world becomes, the less belongs to him as his own. (Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844) We can suck in that Marx believed that workers labor force become an impertinent object that is alien to them. This external object will be a incompatible forceThe alienation of the worker in his product means not only that his labor becomes an object, an external existence, but that it exists outside him, independently, as something alien to him, and that it becomes a power on its own confronting him. It means that the life which he has conferred on th e object confronts him as something hostile and alien. (Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844) Thus, capitalism will spark withdraw alienation towards workers. The very products they produced will be taken away from capitalists and, as a result, become a hostile force to them. ) In triplet aspect, alienation of workers and their species cosmos, workers are being separated from the nature spirit cognize as forgiving nature. What makes human so unique is that, we have our own special nature. Human have personal wills and consciousness. We can create things by following our own belief, will, preference. Human are also fond of resplendent things. Marx discussed about this topic in his Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. He believed that human can produce not only for physical needs, but also for their desires. Besides, human produce universally and can form products according to the truth of beauty.When workers need to follow the capitalist mode of production, the ab ove species being will be deprived. With the fixed working position and repeated procedures, workers no longer produce according to their own wills or preferences. Marx said Mans species-being, both nature and his spiritual species-property, into a being alien to him, into a means of his individual existence. It estranges from man his own body, as well as external nature and his spiritual aspect, his human aspect. (Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844) This saying represents what Marx estimation about those alienated workers.Capitalism put workers under the same routine of productions. Workers are merely a tool of capitalists to make profit. All the human nature, creativity, workers decision and preferences are neglected. Workers have to work as ordered by their employers. This is what alienation on workers and species being means. d) In forth aspect, alienation of workers and other workers, human relationship amid them will also be alienated. What Marx believed was that, w orkers are alienated by capitalists and eventually become the goods on the trading market.As capitalists own factories, they can make decision about who they want to hire. Thus, workers are first selected to work in the factories. Then, throughout the working period, workers are usually monitored by supervisors. Once a worker is found to violate the factory as well as the capitalists interest, he or she is no longer hired. As a result, workers have to work in a commercial, capitalist atmosphere. The relationship between workers is worsened. some other important effect is that, relationship between workers will deteriorate or even become hostile under the capitalist working environment.As the capitalist can lay off any one as they desire, workers will become a competitors of from each one other. Some may take hostile attitude towards each other as they want to stay in the factory to earn a living. This alienation is against Marxs hope as people with same interest, same class will b e against each other. So, Marx pointed out that alienation not only cause effect on workers themselves, but also the relationship with others. 3. Content B With a view to the alienation, Marx believed that it can only be eliminated by changing the whole system.Marx pointed out the cause of alienation lies on the property system. The relationship between workers and employers are obviously money related. In this property system, workers do not own the factory, input materials, machines or other prerequisite. Properties are common soldierly owned. Therefore, Marx called these workers as project class. To tackle this problem, Marx had one method, the only method To round outly abolish the private ownership and property system. With the destruction of this money or property system, communism should be set up. Marx once said that (2) Communism (? still political in nature democratic or despotic (? ) with the abolition of the state, however still incomplete, and being still affected by private property, i. e. , by the estrangement of man. In both forms communism already is aware of being reintegration or return of man to himself, the transcendence of human self-estrangement. Marx clearly stated that communism will bring workers back to human essence. A juvenile society will be created. Workers no longer need to complete with each other. Species being, products will not be alienated. To achieve this change, revolution is a choice for Marxists.As the authority will not easily change the original way of ruling, capitalist will still exist. Michael Curtis, the writer of Marxism The Inner Dialogues, said that Communism will overcome alienation through the creation of a community which ends the cleavage between production and consumption, intellectual and manual labor. Hence, the only solution to demolish alienation is communism, while communism itself can be achieve by revolution. 4. Conclusion All in all, alienation is a eventual outcome of capitalism. With the private ownership and money system, the relationship between workers and employers evolve to commercial relation.With the usage of division of labor as well as the assembly line, workers are forced to repeat the same procedure of production. They will thus be alienated with the work itself and their species being. Besides, workers relationship with other will deteriorate. Notwithstanding the effects of alienation, Marx believed that it can be eliminated by pulverize the property system. Revolution is the answer to this. Reference * Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 by Marx, K. (Between April and August1844), fromhttp//www. marxists. rg/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/preface. htm * Curtis, M. (1997). Marxism The Inner Dialogues (pp. 129-142) * Ollman, B. (1976). Alienation Marxs Conception of Man in Capitalist Society (2nd ed. ) (Chapter 22) * Marx on Alienation by University of Regina- Department of Sociology and affectionate Studies (2002, September 30), fromhttp// uregina. ca/gingrich/s3002. htm * Marx Capitalism and Alienation by Jorn Bramann, fromhttp//faculty. frostburg. edu/phil/forum/Marx. htm * Themes, Arguments, and Ideas by Sparknotes, fromhttp//www. sparknotes. com/philosophy/marx/themes. html