I'm about a quarter of the way through reading an academic book which introduces Karl Marx and his theories. And I'm going to knock it on the head right from the start of this post - it's interesting as fuck.
I'm really taking a liking to Marxism. It does seem to add up. And as a child born in democratic western society, the idea that communism may be positive in certain aspects was something I had certainly never been taught whilst at school. Communism and evil were always together. Always.
I'm going to very briefly try and explain the fundamental basics of Marxism. As Peter Singer writes in Marx: A Very Short Introduction, 'Those who employ the workers - the capitalists - build up their wealth through the labour of their workers. They become wealthy by keeping for themselves a certain amount of the value their workers produce. Capital is nothing else but accumulated labour. The workers labour increases the employers capital. This increased capital is used to build bigger factories and buy more machines. This increases the division of labour. This puts more self-employed workers out of business. They must then sell their labour on the market. This intensifies the competition amongst workers trying to get work, and lowers wages.'
'Economics is the chief form of human alienation, and that the material force needed to liberate humanity from its domination by economics is to be found in the working class'.
'In the alienated condition caused by private property we cannot appreciate anything expect by possessing it or using it as a means. The abolition of private property will liberate our senses from this alienated condition, and enable us to appreciate the world in a truly human way.'
I know right, it's a little complicated, and sounds pretty boring at first read. But seriously, if you haven't looked into Marxism, give it a read. Especially if you've never researched deeply into the foundations of communism. Intense shit.
Don't get me twisted though - I'm not about to turn into a communist. Just my reading so far has really opened my eyes into new aspects we can view the capitalist system. Of course, I disagree with many communist beliefs, such as their policies on religion, and quite frankly as we've seen, often the blatant oppression of the people.
But these aren't ideas Marx came up with. His communist theories are almost pure-communism. The basics, without human greed coming into play.
But yeah, I'd definitely suggest purchasing the book I'm reading, Marx: A Very Short Introduction, by Peter Singer. It's brief, 100 or so pages, but enough depth to really educate and give a taster to Karl Marx's life and work.
I'm really taking a liking to Marxism. It does seem to add up. And as a child born in democratic western society, the idea that communism may be positive in certain aspects was something I had certainly never been taught whilst at school. Communism and evil were always together. Always.
I'm going to very briefly try and explain the fundamental basics of Marxism. As Peter Singer writes in Marx: A Very Short Introduction, 'Those who employ the workers - the capitalists - build up their wealth through the labour of their workers. They become wealthy by keeping for themselves a certain amount of the value their workers produce. Capital is nothing else but accumulated labour. The workers labour increases the employers capital. This increased capital is used to build bigger factories and buy more machines. This increases the division of labour. This puts more self-employed workers out of business. They must then sell their labour on the market. This intensifies the competition amongst workers trying to get work, and lowers wages.'
'Economics is the chief form of human alienation, and that the material force needed to liberate humanity from its domination by economics is to be found in the working class'.
'In the alienated condition caused by private property we cannot appreciate anything expect by possessing it or using it as a means. The abolition of private property will liberate our senses from this alienated condition, and enable us to appreciate the world in a truly human way.'
I know right, it's a little complicated, and sounds pretty boring at first read. But seriously, if you haven't looked into Marxism, give it a read. Especially if you've never researched deeply into the foundations of communism. Intense shit.
Don't get me twisted though - I'm not about to turn into a communist. Just my reading so far has really opened my eyes into new aspects we can view the capitalist system. Of course, I disagree with many communist beliefs, such as their policies on religion, and quite frankly as we've seen, often the blatant oppression of the people.
But these aren't ideas Marx came up with. His communist theories are almost pure-communism. The basics, without human greed coming into play.
But yeah, I'd definitely suggest purchasing the book I'm reading, Marx: A Very Short Introduction, by Peter Singer. It's brief, 100 or so pages, but enough depth to really educate and give a taster to Karl Marx's life and work.
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