Communism and Non-Alienated Labor is the Best - Essay Example

Communism and Non-Alienated Labor is the Best In a perfect world, one would get whatever he or she desire. A real utopian society would be free from all manner of discrimination including racism, gender and other forms of oppression. Such a world, however, is not realistic and communism is one of the proposed solutions to that kind of imperfect world. Communism is where everyone in a given society gets equal shares resulting from labor. It encourages the poor to step up and attain the social status similar to that of the middle-class landowners (Marx and Engels, 78). However, this is only possible when there is even redistribution of wealth so that the low class gets to the same level as the middle-class. According to communism, which was highly promoted by Karl Marx, the means of production should be controlled by the state (the state owns everything). Mass production implies producing large amounts of commodities at a cheaper cost. Alienation simply means to segregate things that naturally occur or belong together. An alienated labor implies a worker being separated from his/her products. In division of labor, workers specialize to perform specific tasks assigned to them in production process. Karl Marx (1818-1883), argues that communism and non-alienated labor is the best practice in any society based on the arguments discussed below. Marx in his theory found that there are two groups of people in the capitalist society. On one side, there are the Bourgeois class who owns means of production and wealth. On the other side, there are the Proletarians, who are the working class. The Bourgeois exploit the proletarians. He further argues that the bourgeoisie’s agglomeration of population, centralization of means of production and of wealth in the hands of a few, is not a good practice to the society. It is against the social justice in the society. That, according to Karl Marx, leads to centralization of political power. Regions in a given society tend to be independent though loosely attached. They have different political interest, laws and taxation policies. After centralization, they suddenly become one with a common law, one frontier, one class-interest and similar costs. It is unfair for such a society to exist, given the gap between the upper class (the rich) and the lower class (the poor). Laws governing such a society especially taxation laws and policies might not reflect true scenario on the ground. The bourgeoisie takes advantage of the proletarians since they can easily influence them using their wealth or resources. The working class struggling to make ends meet will do anything. Communism is thus the best that a society should replicate if it were to develop (Mulvaney, 84). Since there is too much civilization, means of subsistence, industry and commerce in such a society, industry and trade (commerce) is likely to collapse. Marx’s solution to this problem, in this light, is to destroy a mass of productive forces, conquer new markets and exploit the old ones. Communism in this case presents a good solution according to Marx. Due to the bourgeoisie’s extensive use of machinery (capital) and division of labor, the proletarians’ work has lost personal character. Consequently, there is a loss in worker’s charm. The middle class slowly encroaches into proletariat since their insufficient capital cannot fit the scale on which current industry rides. The new means of production renders their specialized labor worthless because of the competition into which they engage with the large capitalists. Such stiff competition among the bourgeoisie and the crisis that arises in commerce fluctuate the wages of the workers. Fluctuation in wages due to competition discourages the working class, but since there is little that can be done to correct this, they accept and move on. Collapse of some industries and trade renders some workers unemployed. If resources were controlled from a common point (by the government), there would be equitable redistribution of wealth. That would promote fairness among citizens of the society. Communism becomes a solution in this case; hence, it is the best according to Karl Marx and other communists. What next for the proletarians? They do not have something of their own. They can neither secure nor fortify property. Their available option is to damage all pervious securities notwithstanding, individual property. There exist a national struggle between the proletarians and the bourgeoisie. Consequently, the proletarians need to settle their disputes with the bourgeoisie. Various vices in the society arises because some people do not own anything while others own much. Criminal activities speed up in such a society as people struggle to make ends meet. There is disharmony in a society characterized by intense insecurity. Development becomes a challenge, so does economic growth. The wealthy are thus unfit to rule according to Karl Marx. Every society that practices communism ensures no antagonism of oppressing the oppressed class. Modern laborers sink deeper below their own class. The upper class (the rich) should not rule, as they are incompetent for leadership. They tend to promote some form of economic slavery. He believed that the society cannot cope with the bourgeoisie since its presence is no longer compatible with the current society. To lead means to become a servant. The rich in the society (the bourgeoisie), may not serve as role models. Marx sees them as oppressors and therefore, they may lack the qualities to lead. In a communist society, there exist servant leadership as a single unit controls the available resources. Serious problems in the modern society arise when it comes to alienation of labor. Marx indicates in his work that work significantly defines the laborer. He further argues that the alienation of the worker from the products of one’s work alienates him/her from the essence. This type of practice is common in capitalist society hence communism is the best practice that a society need to emulate as contended by Marx. This implies that the commodity produced by the labor stand opposed to it as a power independent of the producer. When workers are alienated from labor, they tend to become poorer as they try to expend themselves in work. This is because the objects he creates become powerful than him (Holmes, 19). In the case of alienated labor, the worker is seen as an ever-cheaper product with the more commodities he creates. Products are valued at the expense of the producers. Based on this reason, Marx advocates for non-alienated labor. Labor does not only produce goods, but also produces itself and act as a commodity. Vitiation of labor occurs to the point that one starves. The worker is deprived not only of life but also work. Labor becomes an object only acquired by input of the greatest effort. The worker sacrifices his/her life into the object and now his/her life belongs to the object (Douzinas and Zizek, 62). Therefore, the greater his activity, the less he owns. Whatever is meant to be embodied in the commodity they produce no longer belongs to them. Poverty becomes the order of the day and numerous problems begin to feature. Emergence of slums is the immediate feedback. Poor sanitation arises because of overpopulation consequently promoting health hazards. Diseases begin to be on high-rise. Many die due to diseases. If a society mimics the communism kind of an economy where labor is non-alienated from the worker, such problems might be minimized. How best can a society be if it considers communism and proper remunerations of its workers? That becomes a simple a question to ask based on Marx’s argument. Class struggles as presented by Karl Marx will ensure that capitalist economies give way to communism. Communism is the best as no one will feel oppressed or oppress the other. Labor should appreciated by rewarding it with what it deserves. When labor is non-alienated from the laborer, its value increases. There is increase motivation of such a laborer hence productivity is highly likely to increase. Communism calls for unity among different classes of the society to work towards a common interest. It promotes social justice not only to poor but also for the rich. An economy characterized by communism ensures justice for all. The social class elimination should come through a revolution and not through reforms or changes in government (Holmes, 51). Capitalists argue that capital accumulation and competitive markets are important in the economy, but market forces determine prices. These private individuals are most likely to be selfish. However, different economies practice some specific components of capitalism that they prefer. Liberal economists put their suggestion on the extent to which various governments do not have full control of the markets and reasons to issue property rights. Neoclassical and Keynesian macro-economists urges governments to regulate the monopolies that exist in those societies and loosen the effects of boom and recession (Douzinas and Zizek, 97). The critics of capitalism associate such an economy with unstable economy and being unable to consider the welfare of the people. Therefore, communism and non-alienated labor is the best a society would practice based on the above reasons. Karl Marx presents scenarios that require serious attention from different economies. Reward for labor (minimum wage regulation), taxation policies, capital employment, code laws and even redistribution of wealth as well as resources, are important features (Holmes, 39). If a society considers communism and non-alienated labor based on their importance, then it becomes the best practice. Karl claims that societies should promote communism to realize the required economic growth and development. The vices in the society in the process would reduce and everyone would work hard to increase production. A society that looks into the interests of its people increases its chances of progressing. Works Cited Douzinas, Costas and Zizek Slavoj. The Idea of Communism. New York: Verso, 2010. Print. Holmes, Leslie. Communism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Marx, Karl and Engels Friedrich. The Communist Manifesto. Seattle: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2010. Mulvaney, Robert J. Classic Philosophical Questions. London: Pearson, 2011. Print. Read More