Marx- alienation

Introduction

 In the interpretation of capitalism, Marx reveals how society is developed, how it works, and the relationship between human beings and products and activities.  In the theory of alienation, Marx is individual-centered, or in other words, he focuses on how workers struggle and use their labor-power to build the society yet they end up being controlled by employers.  Note that Marx discusses alienation in different forms and all occur as a result of private property and capitalism. In a capitalist society, workers are used as a means of production. Workers struggle for production believing that in the end, they will achieve happiness and fulfilled life.  However, the workers do not achieve the American Dream or the self-realization but what happens is that they experience alienation. Capitalism creates a division of labor and this results in the alienation of labor. Capitalism controls the economy, and works do not have the power to control the products they have produced.  Workers are alienated from productive activities since their human ability is limited.  Finally, workers are alienated from each other. Rather than cooperating to transform the world, they create their opposing competition for jobs. Thus, under capitalism, the objectification of labor is to separate the workers from wealth and technology and as a result, workers lose the reality of leading fulfilled and meaningful lives.

 

Capitalism interfere with the fulfillment of the good life

 First, capitalism interferes with the fulfillment of the good life. This is because capitalists have three objectives; first to treat workers as the means of production, to increase the surplus, and to alienate the workers from the products of labor (RAINES, 2002, p.120). When the worker enters in the labor, they put more effort but the more they work hard the less they belong to the products of labor. In other words, the greater the activity, the fewer the products they possess.  The separation of the worker from the products means that the labor becomes external or while working, workers feel unhappy since there is no connection between them and the work. They lack mental and physical energy since they are involved in forced labor.  They are used as a mean to an end and this means that the labor does not belong to them (RAINES, 2002, p.121). The worker cannot lead a fulfilling life since he feels like he is treated like an animal. While working, he does realize the genuine human functions since, in a real sense, there is no relationship between the worker and the act of production, and there is no relation between the worker and the product of labor. Therefore, throughout the labor, the workers do not have self-realization. There is no sense of meaning, self-worth, happiness, and wellbeing (RAINES, 2002, p.121).   Instead, the worker suffers from emotional distress and he is denied a good life. Capitalist ideologies are indeed the principal obstacles to human freedom. This is because, capitalism focuses on competition, free economy, private property, wage labor, profit motive, and more. However, these ideologies are the source of alienation where the individual worker is denied the freedom to enjoy the products the labor.  Workers are exploited and used as a mere machine.

 From the Hegelian perspective, Marx asserts that there are opposing forces in an economic system and these forces oppose ideas generated by human beings. The positive side of a capitalist society is that it increases living standards and more workers are employed (Pressman, 2002, p.48). However, the capitalist system exploits workers since its interest is on constant capital or sources of production, variable capital or the wage bill, and surplus value or the value of the products (Pressman, 2002, p.48). In essence, capitalist buys labor and machines that will be used in the production of goods and sell the goods to achieve surplus value.  Since the workers do not have the capital to support themselves, they are used as the means of production to produce something of value and to enrich their employers. Capitalists ensure a higher surplus by increasing working hours, increasing work intensity, and reducing the wage bill. Workers produce more goods and get fewer wages (Pressman, 2002, p.48). Firms can exploit workers since they do not have the power to leave the work but they endure the physical and mental torture. Also, competition is high and the exploitation becomes intense since it is the only strategy that firms can use to survive in a competitive environment.  What followed after exploitation is alienation.

 

Worker's alienation from the product

  The capitalists' objectification of labor is that as workers produce wonderful things, they end up poor, ugly, and living a non-beautiful life. After completing the work of production, workers are seen as boring despite the wealth they produce (MORRISON, 2006, p.122). They do not have control over the products in that the capitalists ensure that the produced goods are consumed immediately. In other words, the role of the workers is to produce the products whereas the owner controls the products in purchase and sales. Thus, the product alienation occurs since after production, the product is detached from the worker and it becomes alien or unrelated to the worker who creates it.  In fact, workers do not take pride in the products they produce.

Worker's alienation from the activity of the labor

 The capitalists' objectification of labor is also to ensure that the worker is alienated from the labor. Note that the means of production is also privately owned. Even if the worker is the means of production, he does not produce the goods directly. Note that workers are creative and expect the employers to give them the freedom to control the environment where the production is taking place (MORRISON, 2006, p.124). However, capitalists view the production as a monotonous task. Capitalists do not see the need for strengthening the worker's potential but rather, they believe that they own the means of production. Note that workers sell their labor and thus they have no control. Workers have no relation with how they produce and this means that they do not have the productive powers because labor is an object.

 

Workers' alienation from human species

 This means that as the capitalists own the labor power, the worker losses individual freedom. They are alienated from their conscious mental being and therefore they are not conscious of themselves (MORRISON, 2006, p.125). They only have a physical being like animals. Capitalisms believe that in the production of goods, workers do not have consciousness and they act physically. They labor like animals since their mental ability is not recognized.

 

Workers alienation from other humans

 This means that workers are not involved in social labor but they participate in alienated labor. Social labor means that workers create social groups and harmonies unity. However, capitalism destroyed human nature and it does have the essence of a human or it does not recognize his existence. Capitalism transforms social relationships to economic relationships (MORRISON, 2006, p.126).They make sure that workers are alienated from the social community so that they can work as separate individuals in achieving the economic goals.  Workers no longer work as collective beings but they work separately. Workers are also alienated from other human beings since the capitalists create two classes; the producers and benefactors.  The benefactors are characterized by wealth and beauty whereas the producers are characterized by poverty and deprivation. 

 

Conclusion

 Capitalists believe that the only way they can achieve economic prosperity is through private ownership. They also believe that labor will help them create property and value.   However, other economics believe that if labor creates property and increases value, it needs to be improved. This is because almost all products used by people are as a result of labor effort.  Conversely, capitalists alienate and exploit the labor so that they can achieve the private ownership.  Capitalists alienate workers from other humans, they alienate them from their active function, and they alienate them from their individual life. Workers are seen as a machine yet the capitalists focus on strengthening their relationship with the products of labor. Workers do not gain benefit simply because capitalists owns everything including the means of production and the products. There is no relationship between the workers and the capitalists and the only thing that connects them is the commodity. Workers are seen as mere objects and they do not have control in all aspects of life. Alienation leads to the class struggle between the capitalists and the workers.

 

 

References

 

Pressman Steven. (2002). Fifty Major Economists. Routledge

 

RAINES, J. (2002). Marx on Religion. Philadelphia, Temple University Press. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=449829.

 

MORRISON, K. (2006). Marx, Durkheim, Weber: formations of modern social thought. London,

Sage.