Karl Marx is known for saying that working conditions under capitalism are degrading to workers. But in Das Kapital, he also says that there's nothing inherently degrading about work itself. The labor process is something people in any society have to undertake in order to provide the means of sustenance (such as food, clothing, and shelter) for themselves. That requirement is a natural part of life, and Marx sees it in kind of romantic terms. But how that requirement plays out under specific modes of production depends on history, not on nature.
Questions About Man and the Natural World
- What's your own labor process like? What about your labor process is determined by the economic system you live under, and what about it is determined by nature? What about your work would stay the same even if the economic system changed? What wouldn't?
- What raw material does nature provide for capitalism? Try to list the natural resources that go into the work you do. Where do they come from? The Sources & Uses tab at the U.S. Energy Information website provides interesting data on the topic, including statistics and maps.
- Look at workers around you. Is there anything natural about the division of labor? That is, do physiological factors such as age impact who does what? Should they? What does Marx think?
- Some people today talk about a post-scarcity economy, a world so plentiful that no one has to work any longer. What would Marx say? Does it depend on the definition of work? How do you define work?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Work is a natural part of human existence. It will always be with us.
Work may someday come to an end, perhaps due to advances in technology or changes in economic system.