Marx & chill 8 Human requirements & division of labor Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844
Channel: MaylingStudio
Date: 2021-05-16

MARX AND CHILL is back! This is the 8th chapter of our beloved journey into Karl Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. In "Human requirements & division of labor..." we explore what human needs become under capitalism, and how it is that division of labor works in such system.

In "Human requirements & division of labor..." first, we contrast how the human senses work under capitalism. In our last reading we learned how socialism would enable our human senses to flourish. Under capitalism, money becomes our only need. Making, saving, and spending money are the only true aims of capitalism. Our senses atrophy. 

Throughout "Human requirements & division of labor..." text Marx will tell us how the different economists of the era understood capitalism. Their contradictory understanding of why division of labor came to be. And their thoughts regarding how money affects the working class as well as the rich.

The most fascinating part of "Human requirements & division of labor..." pertains to the power that wealth exerts over our ability to experience pleasure. The working class must curtail their interests/pleasures in order to survive in society. Or risk losing all their money and the shelter it affords them. Meanwhile, the rich who turn to endless consumption to deal with their sense of estrangement must work non-stop. Their rampant consumerism constantly threatens their wealth. Both the rich and poor have no option but to live their lives chasing money.

"Human requirements & division of labor..." is our most revealing text yet. Let's discuss how our senses, our pleasure, our safety are all at the mercy of money in a capitalist society. 

00:00 Intro
01:00 Human needs
07:58 Economists’ thoughts
14:16 Transcending the estrangement
16:41 Wealth, power, and pleasure
23:15 Division of labor

Marx and chill playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyJlOW6AjvyfPyPTahC0OU3lFmwIJgrUN

PDF of the text: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/preface.htm

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