Pursuit of Passion VS Labor

Friday, June 03, 2011

Karl Marx refers to the alienation of labor as work that is external to the worker. The work is mind numbing and tedious. The worker can only feel happy outside of his work (and at work he feels not himself).

Adam Smith's explanation about the division of labor is completely at odds with Marx's understanding. Smith sees the differentiation of talent in the confines of the extent of the market, as ability of everyone to have beyond themselves. He explains that even the homeless man has access to opportunities on par with a tribal king because of the fact that his society has innovated.

I labor for two primary reasons: first, for the purpose of accumulating greater wealth. Second, is the the pursuit of my passion. I believe it is the latter which Smith is referring to when he talks about occupation. It's the expectation that the wealth we accumulate through the pursuit of our passion, will allow us to trade for the result of other individuals labors of passion.

Marx assumes a binary society where you are either property owner or a property laborer. He also assumes that this labor is tedious and mechanical. We all start out as laborers, but we grow in experience. As a result we are able to pursue our passions, profit from them, and barter for commodities created by others.

Labels: adam smith, karl marx, labor