- How important is work to us as human beings?
- Why is work important to us? What's your answer? What would Marx say?
- Are you concerned about the growing gap between the rich and the poor in the U.S.? What would Marx say? How would you respond to him?
- What does Marx mean by "alienation"? Are you or have you been alienated? Explain.
1- Why is being active and productive important to human nature?
2- Do you believe, like Marx, that alienation is at root neither metaphysical nor religious, but social and economical?
When Marx describes "alienation" he says that people project their own human potential into theological fantasies and undervalue their lives. This occurs when a person loses the capability of determining their own destiny. Alienation is lack of self-worth and the absence of meaning in one's own life. There are four examples of alienation; alienation of the worker from the work, alienation of the worker from working, alienation of the worker from himself, and alienation of the worker from other workers.
ReplyDeleteHere are some other questions:
What is unproductive labor?
What are the basic meanings of the concepts: means of production, relations of production, and mode of production?
What does "class" mean in Marxist theory?
More questions on Marx from Megan and Jenna:
ReplyDelete1- Why is being active and productive important to human nature?
2- Do you believe, like Marx, that alienation is at root neither metaphysical nor religious, but social and economical?
Being active and productive is important to us as human beings because activity stimulates the human brain. Humans need a productive stimulation in life to function properly. We were all created with a purpose in life and in order for us to find our purpose we must be actively working towards our purpose in life. Marx’s said that humans are social creatures and we need to work to allow us the opportunity to be social, and I agree with him. Humans must work together in society to achieve a common goal.
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DeleteIt is very important to be social and to build relationships with people around us because it allows us to stay healthy and, like Erica says, stimulate the brain. Without stimulation, a person begins to decline in function and to maybe even pick up bad habits. It is important to work together and be a social being in order to achieve goals and to keep the community going.
DeleteI definitely agree with you Erica, we all have a purpose and in order for us to reach our full potential, we must be working towards our goals each and every day by being active and ultimately productive. Our society would not be a society if we all weren't socially working together. We cannot do things alone and because of this, we are always interacting with others and working towards our own goals in order to reach our full potential.
DeleteI am concerned about the growing gap between the rich and the poor economic classes in the U.S. There have been theories about the Trickle Down System where the rich have so much money and they spend it in a way that allows the money to trickle all the way down to the middle and poor economic classes. This theory failed and it helps to prove that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Marx discussed that employers would use their workers for their benefit and get the most work out of them that they could. I can see that employers want hard workers that get the most work down for the cheapest price possible so in the end the employer is profiting as much as possible. This is where the gap between the rich and the poor expands. Employers will try to pay the least amount possible for labor that allows them to keep a steady flow of workers and workers are willing to take the low income because they may not have any other option. The workers with work as hard as possible to keep their jobs and keep the employers happy so they don’t get fired and have to move on to an even lower income job. The poor have a difficult time moving up in society because they only have so many opportunities presented to them.
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point about workers not having the opportunity to leave an awful job because of lack of other opportunities or not being able to afford to leave. To me it seems really close to slavery. When I think of workers being worked hard and not having any job fluidity, I think of the industrial revolution, Les Mis, and 3rd world countries, not modern day America. Sometimes it's hard for me to remember that these issues are also close to home, and that my own neighbors could be suffering from this.
DeleteIt is also becoming harder to get full time jobs, because most are now requiring a degree. This is leaving people who only have a high school degree the opportunity to get part time jobs. If people are getting part time jobs, that doesn't provide enough money for them to go to school and support a family therefore making harder to obtain the college degree. If you have a child from a low income family, they may not be able to excel far in life because they don't have the financial means to go to college. They may be absolutely brilliant, but unless they have enough money to go to college and show that brilliance they will be stuck in the low income job and not be able to move forward in life. If employers who make the most money were a little less selfish and able to fairly support their workers, then maybe people would be happier to be at work and do the work with better care and quality. I believe that this would help the people who want to pursue a higher education because they would be able to save up money to go back to school and then later provide a better life for their children.
DeleteMarx's definition of "class" is (not surprisingly) tied to labor: "a group of people sharing common relations to labor and the means of production."
ReplyDeleteWork to us as humans is important because it allows us to accomplish many things. There are many types of work such as, employment work, labor work, and working for a goal. Employment work is the job that most teenagers and adults take so that they can buy food, material things, and pay bills. Labor work is more of a farmer, where they spend everyday doing a laborious activity so that the task they accomplished can be considered employment work and sold to make a profit and provide for their family. Working for a goal can be something like athletics. When doing a sport, the muscles in the body can be worked to achieve a certain goal. No matter what type of work is done, it will always take time to accomplish what you are trying to achieve.
ReplyDeleteI believe that being active and productive is important to human nature. If people are not active and productive then many things human nature needs to survive cannot be done and therefore human nature would be struggling to exist, or even cease to exist.
I agree. I believe that not being active nor productive will eventually cause physical problems and terrible health. Our minds greatly affect our immune system and if we aren't stimulating our minds, being active, or giving ourselves obligations or goals, we will easily slip into a negative state and weaken our body's immunities. I know when I have absolutely have nothing to do I go a little crazy, my friends always give me a hard time because I never seem to slow down but I can't stand not being productive in some way, shape, or form. Everyone's level of productivity varies but it definitely is important to life and health all around.
DeleteWork is so important to us as human beings. Whether it be doing homework to stretch our minds and increase our intelligence, physical labor to put food on the table, or even just being physically active to keep our bodies healthy. It's all necessary to keep our minds active, our bodies strong, and our community going.
ReplyDeleteWork is definitely healthy because it continues to allow us to learn and stay active in the community. If someones sits at home all day, stuck in their house, they may begin to lose their mind and maybe even their health. Working allows an individual to get out into the world, sometimes communicate with new people and to learn more about what life is all about.
DeleteI think work is beyond important to us as human beings. It is the center of people's lives in today's world. If people don't work, they are sometimes frowned upon and looked at as lazy. Why do we judge people so easily if they do not work? Without work, what would people do to occupy their days? How would their bills be paid? I think work is one of the most important things in today's world. Everyone wants a stable job to be able to support themselves and their families. Work keeps people busy and active in the world.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you Maggie. Society definitely frowns upon people that do not work and honestly it is quite sad to think about how cruel we can be. But it is the truth to an extent. We can learn so much from working not only for our own goals but to interact with others and grow from our experiences with one another. We are challenged by one another and we also make our lives much easier when we work with one another. We would be lost without doing some type of work because it is engraved in the human mind from the time we are born. We have to work to be able to roll, and to crawl and to walk and to reach the cookie jar. We are constantly working even when we don't realize it. Work isn't always about getting a paycheck, it's about improving on something and getting better or accomplishing something that we couldn't do the day before. We put labels on things so often that we sometimes forget what work really is. It comes in many forms and it's essential for our human nature.
DeleteBeing active and productive is very important in human nature because it allows one's mind and body to stay refreshed and healthy. Although being alone is healthy at times, being isolated and inactive all the time can cause a person to have low feelings and to somewhat lose their mind. They may begin to dislike themselves and feel like they are going crazy. It is very important to be production and to feel a sense of satisfaction because that is what keeps us going as human beings. Being active keeps a person healthy and on a good path throughout their life.
ReplyDeleteIn the United States work is everything to us. It gives us the sense of self worth and accomplishment. Even when we are on break from either work or school we are still working. Across the pond in Europe, they encourage to take time away from people get 30 days versus here we get 14 days.
ReplyDeleteWork is extremely important because it is where we learn the most in my opinion. We learn to be organized, on time, be prepared, to come well rested and to work hard. We learn from our mistakes because if we don’t, there is always someone else that is ready to replace us at any time. If we do a lousy job, are dishonest, are lazy or don’t care about our work then our boss is there to kick us to the curb and replace us with someone who is willing to put in the work that we weren’t willing to do. Work teaches us so much about the world, others and ultimately ourselves. We learn who we are and what we are willing to do. There are so many important lessons we can learn from our work. This is why work is so important for human beings.
ReplyDeleteBeing active and productive is important to human nature because we see progress when we produce things from our own hands and feet. We feel better about ourselves when we are in shape and have the energy to be productive and accomplish the goals we set out for ourselves. So many times I realize how unhappy and unproductive I feel when I am not active and moving. I feel like I can conquer the world sometimes, when I am up and moving and prepared for the day because I am productive and I accomplish what I had set out for myself that day.
I agree that work is important because we learn a lot during it. The problem with people and work is that not everyone is the same and there are people in the world who don't have to work for a job that is given to them, so they don't try and put effort into the work they are supposed to be doing. This causes them to not learn simple tasks such as time management and organization skills. If this happens, it makes the person who is willing to do the work learn how far they are willing to work, so that something important, such as a task gets completed in a timely manner. I believe that if you work with people who are handed everything, it allows you to see your true character as a person and learn lessons from yourself, or even from watching a coworker.
DeleteI also have to agree that if I am not moving and being active, I feel like I am not being productive. The only problem with being productive all the time is that the body needs a break to rest and in a sense restart for another day. I can feel this during volleyball season where if I miss practice because of class, I don't feel like I accomplished anything productive in the physical sense, but at the same time, I feel as if my body can take a break from the constant movement and rest for the next day of practice.