Monday, September 20, 2010
Memo 9/13
"From my understanding of the reading, I arrived to the conclusion that communism is a radical ideology calling all proletariats to revolt against the State and all its oppressive functions (i.e. division of labor) that has enslaved them. If measures are effectively appropriated in said revolution, the State would diminish into a classless society where proletariats and bourgeoisie would become “united individuals” (193). As a result, under communism, individuals would live in an equitable community as Marx best describes, “Its organization is, therefore, essentially economic, the material production of the conditions of this unity; it turns existing conditions into conditions of unity” (193). "
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To elaborate with part of my Monday memo:
ReplyDeleteTo transition to Communism, there is a distinction between natural and voluntary division of labor. “The transformation, through the division of labor, of personal powers (relationships) into material powers, cannot be dispelled by dismissing the general idea of it from one’s mind, but can only be abolished by the individual’s again subjecting these material powers to themselves and abolishing the division of labor” (197). Natural division of labor is coercive and imposing; it is a human force that overpowers us without our control. In opposition, voluntary division of labor implies a choice. Voluntary division of labor is achieved through community and communal relations. “In the real community the individuals obtain their freedom in and through their association” (197). In this voluntary division of labor, society regulates, controls, and organizes all the productive forces to move to a classless society. Above all, Marx and Engels call for a revolution of the working class to catalyze this change. The genuine movement toward Communism and its voluntary division of labor requires community where all participate and develop our abilities and talents. Relations among others help us develop our rich and varied abilities.