Theory of Labor - Essay Example

Theory of Labor Affiliation Marx Theory of Labor s that the value of a product is determined by the labor that producesit, and capitalists enrich themselves by paying low wages to workers and overhanging customers. The working classes are always exploited under capitalism in which there is the class monopoly. Accumulation of commodities according to Marx constitutes wealth through wage labor and production of commodities (Appelrouth & Edles, 2012). The amount of socially necessary labor time spent in the production of a commodity from the start to its finish is what creates the value of labor according to Marx.

In a capitalist society, almost everything is a commodity except for a few such as land and artworks since they cannot be reproduced. Human energy applied in production is called labor power and is associated with individuals who can think hard and Struggle to sell their commodities at the best prices. Capitalists have more power than the workers do as they always try to get more from the worker as the worker tries to limits the capitalist power in doing so. Dialect perspective explains that many relationships such as family, romantic, or friendship are interwoven with many contradictions.

Contradictions do not indicate a trouble to any relationship but are very important in the relating process. There are always contradictions in unified relationships by can lead to dialect tensions to people in the relationship in their daily lives. Conflict is necessary to produce change due to competition in social life especially on the distribution of resources, power, and inequality. The society keeps on changing due to class conflicts and competition for the limited resources such as sexual partners, leisure, money, and others.

Through social movements, change comes about through conflict and fight for various interests and over the limited resources (Appelrouth & Edles, 2012). Globalization has widened inequality in developing countries especially technology and foreign investments. As the owners of the factors of production, foreigners and investors exploit cheap labor from the low-income earners and pay them low wages while they keep most of the products of labor to themselves. Class-consciousness are the beliefs, which people hold regarding their social class or economic rank of their class, and their class interests.

According to Marx, there are two types of classes namely the proletarians, who are the modern wage-laborers without their means of production. Thus, they are sellers of their labor power to live (Appelrouth & Edles, 2012). The other class is the bourgeoisie class consisting of the capitalists who are the owners of the factors of production. They are conscious of their class uniqueness although their interests are opposite to the other classes. Classes always emerge and grow out of the antagonistic relationship in which capitalists try to exploit the poor works without mercy creating permanent poverty.

According to Marx, the bourgeoisie always defends their monopoly and control over their laborers by applying any means such as religion and state. The proletariat class includes small-holding peasants who do not own land or resources and have to work for the other capitalist. Reference Appelrouth, Scott A. & Edles, L.D. (2012). Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory: Text and Readings (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.