Wage Labour and Capital #1

Hello everyone, welcome to Theory Thursday! This is a community led project, the point of these posts is to read about 30 minutes of theory every Thursday. Then we discuss with fellow comrades the contents of the reading. This week’s topic we are covering Karl Marx’s Wage Labour and Capital, starting at the introduction and the preliminary.

Last Discussion: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1058881

The Reading: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/wage-labour/index.htm

The Study Guide: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/wage-labour/guide.htm

Study Guide question: On what basis is Marx referring to social reforms being a “Utopia”?

Feel free to discus below your thoughts or insight into this reading.

Next week we will read chapter 1, what are wages, through chapter 5, the nature and growth of capital. Shout out to comrade GrainEater’s Matrix study group, and comrade CriticalResist8’s ProleWiki study guide, go check them out if you would like more resources and discussion on theory. Have a good week comrades, until next time!

  • TT17@lemmygrad.mlOP
    2·
    11 months ago

    Study Guide Answer: I believe Marx is implying that social reforms will be a neat little temporary bonus, a bit of utopia brought to reality, only until revolution happens on a world-wide scale liberating the working class for good.

    1. My personal dislikes/disagreements about the reading: I must admit that the economic side of Marxist-Leninist ideology is by far my weak point. I have a really hard time grasping some of the economic concepts. As far as the reading goes I have no complaints whatsoever.

    2. My personal likes/agreements about the reading: I liked how Engels seems to do the thinking for you in the text. He lays out in plain English a brief summary of Marxian economics. I’m studying Capital on the side, and it was cool to see the main points of that book so beautifully summarized in a few pages.

    3. How this could be applied today: Every word of the economic analyses is accurate to today. I find myself going into the store, or on the job, seeing these concepts live in action before me. I think it is awesome to be able to see and understand the world around you more through these texts.