According
to Marxist philosophy, capitalism is evil and increases class struggles. Marx’s main critique of capitalism is its
dependence on estranged (or alienated) labor to keep the economy going. When a worker is estranged, they distanced
from the product of their labor, the process of production, from one another, and
from “species-being” or humanity. It
seems very reasonable that Marx would call this kind of labor unjust; those
working estranged labor positions often make less than what they need to
survive. However, in America today, our
society highly values material goods and services. Is it possible, with our rapid consumption of
good, to not have estranged labor? Do we
have enough capital period to pay all estranged laborers a good salary?
Marx
would argue that the only way to have a just society would be to instill a
communist society, in which everyone’s needs would be fulfilled and industry
would be completely controlled by the government. Class struggles would end because there would
be no class distinction. However, I
think it’s easy to see that it would be difficult to apply Marx’s theory in
practice to today’s society in the United States.
First,
there is the problem of work ethic. If
everyone is paid equally, what is the incentive to be efficient and work hard
at one’s job? An argument can be made
that the way America’s consumers work would not be possible without estranged
labor. Estranged labor may seem morally
wrong, but is it necessary to keep up with American progress? I think it would be very difficult to get rid
of estranged labor in our society today.
Would Americans give up their iPhones, fancy cars, cheap food, and other
material possessions for the freedom of estranged laborers in foreign
countries? Although this is a very
pessimistic view of Americans, I think most people would not give up material
wealth for the freedom of people they do not even know.
Although,
in principle, I think Marx’s communism is a just system, I do not see how it
could play out practically in our society today. People are naturally self-interested, so
giving up things they feel they have earned is not plausible. Even with a violent revolution, I don’t think
it would be possible to over-turn our government, because the wealthy elite can
control the army as well as our major destructive resources. Is it really ever possible to completely
eradicate class distinctions? Even in a
communist society, I believe that people would find a way to make others subordinate
to them because it is in our nature.
Does anyone else think there is a way that Marx’s ideology could be
possible in America today?
-Maddy Clements
Again, it seems that our judgment of capitalism and communism depends on our view of human nature. Overwhelmingly, our class seems to view human nature as purely selfish, and therefore communism is not only impractical but also unjust. Once again, I would like to challenge our limited view of humanity. Human nature, if it even exists, cannot simply be selfish; humanity is dynamic and diverse with everyone so different from each other that to boil humans down to a set of core principles by which everyone may be defined seems both difficult and foolhardy.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, to answer your question, I don’t believe that America could transition to a communist state. Not because of American’s inherent greed and selfishness, but simply because of the devotion of the American people to the capitalist system. Take for example, our class. The majority of us have a strong and founded faith on the American government and our capitalist society, despite whatever criticisms we may have. To transition from this to a communist society would require a drastic change in culture. However, this raises the question, if America had originally been communist, would the system have failed, or would we have the same fervor for communist America as we do for capitalist America?
Applying the term "selfish" to human nature brings with it many negative connotations. Instead, I think the fundamental description should be "self preserving". This description does not exclude cooperation as a part of human nature. Humans tend toward living in groups, family units, small communities (tribes), and so on, with the size of the group increasing. It would seem then, that we acknowledge that it is to our individual benefit to cooperate/coexist within a larger social structure. A cooperative collective has a far better chance of surviving and thriving than does a group with no desire for cooperation. That said, I think the main reason most Americans cry out for capitalism so vehemently reaches back to decades of misinformation about communism and a kind of hazy, flag waving attitude about capitalism. The American dream became so entrenched in our national identity, that some of the people who benefit the least from our capitalist economy are its most fervent supporters. Couple this with an insatiable instinct for material wealth, and it seems like the collective mindset will never get too far away from a psuedo-capitalist system. People cling to the idea that if you work hard enough, you'll achieve some level of success, but in reality, our economy is such that more often than not, you are destined to remain in the social strata you were born into. The choice we face now is whether we should compromise our identity as a capitalist nation in order to reanimate the ideas of the american dream.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI think you raise some interesting points. First, I would like to touch on the problem of work ethic. I think that part of what drives people to want to succeed is the lure of being able to amass wealth. Therefore, with the way most Americans have grown up it is hard to imagine them seeing any particular need to work hard if there was no incentive. Also, the idea of work ethic and everyone getting paid equally also lead me to wonder how Marx would treat the education system. For example, if I go to school and spend thousands of dollars to become a doctor or get my PhD to teach, or in some other field, should I really be paid as much as the college drop out or perhaps someone who didn’t even go to college? In looking at it from this perspective, it makes me believe that Marx’s economic ideal is also somewhat unjust.
Furthermore, I don’t think that the America couldn’t adopt a Marxist view of the economy because we are self-interested, I think that view over simplifies the matter. I think Marx’s idea of the economy wouldn’t work because American’s have grown up for hundreds of years, with the capitalist framework. Both sides of my family immigrated to America 100 years ago because they believed that America offered them better opportunities. On my dad’s side, neither of my grandparent’s went to college, however all 3 of their kids have the highest degrees possible in their respective fields. While capitalism has its flaws, it does allow for people to move up in society. My great grandparents worked hard so their kids could have more. And my grandparents worked hard so their kids could have more. And finally, my parents work hard every day so that we have as many opportunities to succeed. While, it would be great if everyone got paid the same and we could all do what we love, because no one job promises more than another, I think that people still believe in the “American Dream” and thus, I think it is the main reason Marxism would never work in America. Capitalism has become so ingrained in our everyday lives and although it has its flaws, it is hard to imagine our country without it.