Critique of Capitalist Economy Essay Example for Free

Critique of Capitalist Economy Essay Introduction Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels were great supporters of communism and were opposed to the capitalism way of economic system because they believed that it was a way of exploiting the poor and benefiting the rich in the society[1]. They did a lot of work as philosophers in addressing religious, political and economic issues. Karl Mark and Engels were supporters of communism and criticized the capitalism economy which was being advocated for by the developed countries. Thesis; communist economy is better than the capitalist economy. There has always been a conflict between the counties in the west and the Eurasia on the way economic policies should be set with countries like the US supporting capitalism while the countries that were formally soviet union oppose it and want continue with the communism way.   To critically assess the reasons why communism is better than capitalism, the following is the analysis of negative impact of capitalism and the advantages of the communist economy according to Karl Marx and Engels. The most notable writing is the communist manifesto. Communist Manifesto In 1848, Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels came together to write the   communist manifesto which was a proclamation of the unavoidable failure of the capitalist economy and wake up call to the workers all over the world[2]. The manifesto was commissioned by the communist league in England. Capitalism described as the economic scheme where there is free market of capital i.e. facilities and money, the natural resources and labor (production)[3]. This kind of system allows individual entities like people and companies to the business owners and not the central government. They run the production lines, make much profit as possible since they are also the decision makers of the issues that are affecting the production of goods and services plus the sale of the same[4]. Communism on the other hand is described as an economic system which allows the distribution of the countries resources with the intent of creating a non stratified society. In this type of economy, the government owns the production means and there are no private entities that own the same business or industry. Communism is intimately associated with a German philosophy, Karl Marx because he was an activists and an economist and wrote so much literature about communism and criticizing the capitalism. In his works, he put forward postulations that capitalism would be overthrown and ultimately replaced by communism. Since the individual ownership of the means of production would lead to exploitation, Karl Marx advocated for communism arguing that though the communism may vary from country to country, the following beneficial characteristics would still remain[5]; the planning, production and other operations in agriculture and industry are centrally organized, the system does not put up with opposition from other viewpoints and that only one political party runs the government. Communism developed as reaction of employees to the unacceptable working conditions during the emergence and the increased industrial revolution according to Marx and Engels. In Marx’s view, capitalist should[6] give a chance to socialism a chance to excel because capitalism was deemed to fail the economy because it would create two rivalry classes in the society of the â€Å"haves† and â€Å"have not† hence a new economic system would emerge and replace the capitalism[7]. Though not popular in the 19th century, the communist manifesto became widely used and read document as people sought to actually establish the most efficient economic system during the era of industrial revolution.   As discussed by Marx and Engels, the communism economy would come as a scientifically proofed issue and according to the historic changes of phenomena as continuous processes. Feudalism grew and as expected it had to transform giving rise to mercantilism which also naturally translated to capitalism, from this reasoning, Karl Marx expected that the supporters of the capitalist economy would accept change as it was inevitably going to take place with capitalism transforming to socialism (communism). Economy under Capitalism In the manifesto of communism, Marx and Engels argue that employment would be greatly affected by the owners of the means of production. It also addresses the idea of ownership of private property and idea of communism. The employees are depicted to be suffering from alienated labor; the alienation of labor is categorized in to four groups[8]; first, as soon as the product is made it is immediately taken away from the creator; second, the workers are exploited in the production line (too much work un-proportional to the pay), third, the human beings are meant to work and increase productivity blindly and not in agreement with the normal human nature (from species being), finally, mutual satisfaction of the human needs is replaced by the benefit resulting from the exchange of the products (from other beings). Marx analyses the Hegelian deduction of types of economies to explain how all the categories (salaries, rent, profits etc) were all alienated as a consequence of alienation of the human nature in the capitalist economy. This is because the structure of the economic system ultimately ends up dictating the way people come to live their lives in future, their behavior and determines the possible actions to be taken to stay on top. For instance, in the event that a capitalist economist intention is to remain in the industry (business venture) then he has to exploit the employees to the legal limit. The capitalist will definitely end up being a ruthless exploiter despite being wracked by guilt or not because of the need to stay in control of the economy and apparently everything.   On the same note, employees are forced to take on the work offer as there are no sensible alternatives. Marx and Engels insist that it is for this reason that people have to rise above such oppression and take the bull by its horns so as to have a collective control of their way of life in terms of economy and societal development. Commodity production is another aspect that is addressed by Marx as being used for exploitation. Commodity in the economy and business definitions is the product produced with an intention of exchange for legal tender or money in the market, as there exists a market, the product can be exchanged and that there is division of labor where a variety of products are produced, otherwise there would be no incentive for the exchange. With this kind of reasoning then, a commodity is described in terms of use and value. The use is easily understood, but the value becomes a complex issue to deal with and the relative value for the exchange has to be elaborated. For instance why does some amount of a product exchange for a different amount of another product? The elaboration has to cover the labor input during production of the product or rather the socially obligatory effort put in at average level of intensity to yield the commodity[9]. This is where the labor theory understanding and interpretation plays a big role, and it states that the quantity of socially essential work time needed to produce the commodity should be the determinant of its worth. In Marx view, this argument has two stages and the first is, to say if two items are compared by equations with an equal sign, there should be a third item of identical amount in both to which they are reducible and which is common, the second stage is to look for the suitable ‘third element’ and in this case labor is the only reasonable element[10]. Labor force is therefore likely to be exploited in order to increase the value of the commodity as the use remains constant. Capitalism is idiosyncratic; the capitalist economist does not only rely on the exchange of products as the source of profits but rather the progression of wealth, in the form of cash, with the intension of profit making by means of trading in the products and changing them into other products which can cost higher prices and generate more profits. According to Marx and Engels, no previous scholars have been able to clearly give an explanation of how capitalism as a whole would generate profits. There solution is that, the capitalists exploit the labor from employees, they buy employees labor effort for the day. The price (value) of the product is established by the same means that is, the socially essential labor force needed to make the product. In such an instance, the day’s labor effort is the worth of the products required to keep the employee alive for one day. Taking for example a situation where commodities take about five hours to create, the   first five hours of the day would be used up on creating value that is equal to the worth of the salaries the employees would be compensated, this is the necessary labor. Any other labor done above this is termed as surplus labor and it only benefits the capitalist economist to make surplus value for the profits. The analysis done by Marx reveal that labor called the variable capital and this because it is the only resource that can create more value than it is worth. Other items basically pass their value to the final processed product but cannot create any additional value and hence referred to as the constant capital. Profits generated by the capitalists are a result of employees working past the necessary labor to create value for the employer. This is the theory of profits as far as the surplus value of labor is concerned. The rate of profit making is bound to fall as the industry increases its mechanization under the capitalist economy, by the use of more constant capital and little variable. As it has already been established that labor is the only resource that can add value to a commodity, less advancement on labor as a result of less capital will translate to a fall in the profits. Marx emphasized on the shamed labor and value of commodity[11]. Labor Theory and Value The analysis of Marx and Engels basically emphasized on the reward of labor power and the other forces of production means, basically such resources as land and technology are necessary for production. The analysis of Marx differentiated the history of the means of production for instance the European nations developed from a feudal mode of producing products to capitalist economy. Marx believed that change would come at a fast rate because of the advance in technology. The understanding of the social relations of production to be involving groups of people who are classified based on the wealth they own or their income (social classes)[12]. Commodity fetishism is a description of what Engels termed as false consciousness and is intimately associated with the understanding of the ideology. The ideology was used to imply the ideas of the specific people (class) at a point in time in history[13]. Marx and Engels did not describe only the belief as half truth but as the most important political operation. This explains the way a class can control the production means in food and other manufactured goods, they contribute the ideas of production. People in capitalist are alienated from their own labor investment. The alienation of the labor power as expressed by the Marxist supporters indicates it as the major feature of capitalism resulting in commodity fetishism. Before the emergence of the capitalist economy in the European market, many people who operated their businesses as producers or merchants used to purchase goods and resell them to earn profits. The development of the capitalist economy came as a result of treating labor force as a commodity in itself; the peasants were allowed to exchange labor force with money from the rich people because they did not own any land which they could use to produce food from agriculture[14]. People were being paid according to the time they worked (they were selling labor and not commodity). Those who were in possession of land and the means of production were called bourgeois and they are the capitalists while the peasants who had to sell their labor power for survival were called proletarians[15]. The difference between the industrial capitalist and merchants is that the merchants purchase goods and resell them at some higher cost to earn profits depending on the changes of the laws of demand and supply in the market. The merchant practices arbitrage between markets while the industrialist capitalist exploit the labor market and the product under production[16]. For any profits to be created there has to be a surplus in labor market and value surplus. Capitalism on the other hand can be very productive and develop very fast because of the enticement to reinvest profits in the developing technology and capital facilities. It is also the most innovative economic system as it has always changed the means of production and caused notable improvements. With an attempt to cut down the labor cost, the capitalist economists are likely to invest more in the new technology and as a result considerably cut down the labor cost (less labor)[17]. Since Marx and Engels believed that the profits were from surplus labor, they also concluded that the profits would fall. Conclusion Marxism opposed capitalist and encouraged a move to communism (socialism) in which the economy distributes the resources equally to everybody in the community (nation). It does not promote private possession of assets and business.    References Antonio R.J Cohen. (2003). Marx and Modernity. Key Readings and Commentary. Blackwell Publishing Mark K. Engels F. (2007). Capital. A Critique of Political Economy Vol. 3 Part 1. The Process of Capitalist Production as a Whole. Cosimo Moore S.W. (1957). The Critique of Capitalist Democracy. An Introduction to the Theory of the State in Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Whitman Publishers. Preston P.W. (1982). Theories of Development. Taylor Francis Stalin J. Wells H.G (1937). Marxism vs. Liberalism. An interview. New Century Publishers. New York retrieved on 5th February 2009 from http://www.rationalrevolution.net/special/library/cc835_44.htm . [1] Antonio R.J Cohen. (2003). Marx and Modernity. Key Readings and Commentary. Blackwell Publishing [2] Mark K. Engels F. (2007). Capital. A Critique of Political Economy Vol. 3 Part 1. The Process of Capitalist Production as a Whole. Cosimo. [3] Mooore S.W. (1957). The Critique of Capitalist Democracy. An Introduction to the Theory of the State in Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Whitman Publishers. [4] Mark K. Engels F. (2007). n 2 [5] Stalin J. Wells H.G (1937). Marxism vs. Liberalism. An interview. New Century Publishers. New York retrieved on 5th February 2009 from [6] Stalin J. Wells H.G (1937) n 4 [7] Mark K. Engels F. (2007). n 2 [8] Mooore S.W. (1957). The Critique of Capitalist Democracy. An Introduction to the Theory of the State in Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Whitman Publishers. [9] Mark K. Engels F. (2007) n 2 [10] Antonio R.J Cohen. (2003). Marx and Modernity. Key Readings and Commentary. Blackwell Publishing [11] Mark K. Engels F. (2007) n 2 [12] Preston P.W. (1982). Theories of Development. Taylor Francis [13]Antonio R.J Cohen. (2003). Marx and Modernity. Key Readings and Commentary. Blackwell Publishing [14]Preston P.W. (1982). N 11 [15] Preston P.W. (1982). Theories of Development. Taylor Francis [16] Antonio R.J Cohen. (2003) n 6 [17] Mooore S.W. (1957). The Critique of Capitalist Democracy. An Introduction to the Theory of the State in Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Whitman Publishers.

Alas Babylon Critique :: essays research papers

Critique Alas Babylon, by Pat frank, is a story that revolves round the actions of a single idea, survival. This is reflected in his choice of the title in itself. It is a phrase that is repeated several times in the book, and brings a sense of uneasiness each time. These words come from a part of the â€Å"Revelations of St. John, which describes the decadence of Babylon and the evils that surrounded it at the time (Pg.14-15).† The characters in this book, Mark, and Randy Bragg, began using this phrase from a preacher that they used to listen to as kids. â€Å"Randy and Mark never forgot preacher Henry’s thundering, and from it, they borrowed their private synonym for disaster, real or comic, past or future (Pg.15).†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is such a great pattern of impending death and destruction that awaits each character, which a city like Babylon is a perfect comparison to their world in which they live in. Babylon was once a city of many achievements and wonders, proving that they were far ahead of their time. This makes one wonder if it is possible that we are on the same path. â€Å"Sometimes Preacher Henry made Babylon sound like Miami, and sometimes like Tampa†¦(Pg.14)†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The phrase in its self could mean that we have at last reached our point of no return, and that there is no way back, it seems like such a solemn and definite statement that there can be no way out, when Mark says to Randy, ‘But if you hear â€Å"Alas Babylon,† you’ll know that’s it,(Pg.16)’ he means it as a last resort for help or great destruction is coming. Mark knows that there is no choice but to prepare for war, and a message that strong can only be expressed by words that significant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There couldn’t have been a better way to describe what the brothers were feeling at the time, two words ‘Alas, Babylon.’ The title was taken from a text that had been read and reread, and had given many interpretations. In the bible, the name Babylon comes with a association of power and strength. Pat Frank wanted to convey that same feeling to the readers, so he used a city that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Only few other events in history were as memorable as the fall of Babylon, so this means it has to be notorious.

Using Literature as a Gateway to Critical Thinking

Sometimes, the groans can be heard clear across a campus, and they resonate in memory for years. When a professor assigns a text for reading, anything from the poem â€Å"Just to say† by William Carlos Williams to Herman Melville’s â€Å"Moby Dick,† the students are rapid to react as if they have been handed a death sentence. In some cases, this is because they have so much their reading on their plates that they just feel overwhelmed, but many times, it is a matter of their previous failures to grasp anything meaningful from a literature assignment. This later is the primary point of importance in continuing to distribute the literature. Many university students lack a fundamental grasp on the tools they require to read and write critically, which in turns leaves them without the ability to think and reason in logical and critical terms. The influence of critical thinking on the success of a student at the university level is undeniable.   It will influence how well they comprehend the texts in front of them. It will affect the way in which they can relate one text to another across classroom and semester borders. It will also have a great effect in the way in which they can communicate their ideas to both their peers and their instructors. The way in which a student learns to read and produce written work will be the fundamental core of their language and communication abilities without regard to area of specialization. This learning begins very early in childhood. Learning to read as a child one develops a sense that the author is the beginning and end of the page, and the words used are there for the sole purpose of the surface story. Once a student is capable of surpassing this stage and he or she begins to consider the works on a deeper philosophical level the real learning begins. The student will begin reading for more than simple content and an entire new world will open up full of possibilities. Many students will never learn to recognize the deeper or more subtle meaning in many of the texts unless they are first exposed to it in literature.   Poetry is exceptionally useful for this purpose. The allusions, worked in through metaphor, simile, and symbolism, give a deeper insight to the position of the author from the outset. The famous lines of â€Å"This is Just to Say† by William Carlos Williams provides an excellent example for this type of inquiry: I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold If five students are asked what the narrator is really speaking about, the instructor will likely get five, or more, differing opinions. The poem may be about real plums.   The poem may be about the consumption of personal space or time.   The poem may be speaking on the conceit that obtaining forgiveness for acting may be earier to obtain than permission. These tools allow the student to understand there is a greater depth to the approach than the simple words on the page as a literal expression of a real object, place, or person. At the same time, these keys offer a new light on the author’s angle of approach. Knowing where the author is coming from helps to weed out fallacious arguments, personal vendettas, and even suppositions masquerading as facts. While others ideas can help a reader to formulate their own intellectually sound opinions, those ideas will only be as firmly grounded as the foundation of facts they are based on. The number of times that something is presented as a fact, only to turn out to be an opinion may really shock and surprise many of the students who are used to opening a text for a class and consuming what is before them for regurgitation. This technique is particularly well suited to high schools where the teacher to student ratio often precludes discussion. When the students then have to begin seeking out secondary sources and turn to the internet for information they will have to confront decisions on what is ‘good information’ versus ‘bad information.’ They will not even be able to be certain that newspaper articles and TV shows presented as news are giving them the honest facts. Looking at headlines on the internet, with a tool such as Google News, you can instantly see how word choices affect the entire tone of a story and change meaning dramatically even when reporting on the same incident. By giving students the tools they need to think critically, through the exploration of literature, the universities will begin to overcome the most common objections to much of the assigned reading. These students will begin, and continue, to question even those facts and ideas that appeal to them. This will give them the ability to construct strong and fair opinions of their own. It will lead them to be more cautious when writing papers for any number of disciplines. Not only will they have the moral stamina to stand up for their opinions, they will be certain that their opinions and statements are both fully realized and backed up with good documentation. The trouble with literature in the classrooms is not in the amount of time spent on literature itself, but on the lack of time spent on discussing the literature to bring about these changes to the culpabilities of the students as critical thinkers. Just reading it is not good enough.   In order to derive a benefit which will deepen the experience of education, and therefore contribute more effectively to the community, the time must be taken to teach explication as well as construct. Defining the importance of literature for the students and then perusing the matter if educating with it as a matter of common course is imperative to the end result of a well educated individual. These individuals will return more to society than what they take from it. In order the continue to chip away at the disparity between classes, races, and even genders, it is important to continue to train students who will think and reason in logical and critical terms through the ability to read and write critically. Literature is as imperative as resource as the air they breathe.

The Story in Dantes Inferno - 910 Words

In the story Dante’s Inferno we as readers get to experience hell in a whole light. Throughout the narrative we find out that hell is not only what we know of it from the Christian bible. According to Dante Hell is a complex situation that is nothing like anything we have read earlier. There are many people who have read at least some portion of the Holy Bible. Whether it be because of personal reasons or educational ones, the holy bible most read (and sold) books in existence. Through reading the bible readers start to get the sense that horrible people belong in a horrible place. In reading the bible readers really get the feeling that hell is just a single entity. Hell, according to the bible is a simple enough place. It is just a place you don’t want to be. Many say it’s a place full of your darkest nightmares. Yet it wasn’t until Dante’s Inferno when people got a different view of just what hell has in store for the people headed for it. Dante’s Infernos describes hell as a place that has a place for everyone who belongs there. This is a place that people get a punishment appropriate for their crime. The bible makes it seem that once you are in hell it is not a place you can escape and that is probably one of the only things that it has in Dante’s Inferno. Both the bible and Dante’s Inferno make it seem that hell is a place that once you arrive there is not getting out of it. In Dante’s Inferno we learn that in Dante’s world, there are nine circles of hell. There isShow MoreRelatedInterpretation Of The Translation Of Dante s Divine Comedies1296 Words   |  6 Pagesassuming that the author used certain word choices to convey a specific meaning, which could lead to an incorrect interpretation of the work based on the translator’s bias. In reference to Dante’s Divine Comedies unless we can read the original Italian words, we are dependent on the translator’s interpretation of Dante’s words to guide us on the correct path of analyzing the literature. This leaves lots of room for error and miscommunication which could lead to the wrong understanding of the allegoricalRead MoreAdaptation Of Dantes Inferno914 Words   |  4 Pagesany case, when the sam e poem, or a component of a poem is utilized in a new way, it will spark debates on which one is superior. Mary Jo Bang gives an innovative, new interpretation of Dante’s Inferno, represented with illustrations by Henrik Drescher. Dante’s epic lyric and Mary Jo Bang’s translation of the Inferno are both extraordinary and novel vehicles through which to experience a journey. When translating this epic poem from the fourteenth century, Mary Jo Bang had substantial shoes to fillRead MoreComparative Essay Macbeth and Inferno1079 Words   |  5 PagesThe Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri Inferno The poem Inferno is about a man who has â€Å"lost the path that does not stray† (Inferno, Canto I, line 3) where â€Å"the path† represents the path to Heaven. Dante, having strayed from the path, is in danger of being sent to Hell. When Beatrice, whom Dante loved before her early death, finds out that Dante has strayed she becomes worried that he will not be able to join her in Heaven. Beatrice wants to help Dante find God again, but because she is an angelRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Comedia 947 Words   |  4 PagesComedy. Comedà ¬a has 3 parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The first installment, Inferno, may currently be the most well known of the three poems, spawning countless reprints, several movies and even a video game. Despite being known as a comedy, anyone who has read Inferno realizes that the story is full of symbolism, double entendres, political messages, allusions, religious undertones†¦ the list goes on. However, there are several com edic elements in the story that distinguish it from otherRead MoreThe Inferno And The Systems Theory1220 Words   |  5 PagesDante’s Inferno is an allegorical tale that reflects a tumultuous time in Florence. The Inferno reflects the common thinking of religion and Christianity at the time and through examination of both the Inferno and the systems theory, a better understanding of life in Florence, at that time, can be better comprehended. The systems theory is a model that explores the intertwined aspects of a given civilization. Dante’s Inferno details aspects of the systems theory that can be used to better understandRead MoreDante’s Vision of Divine Justice Justice is one of the major building block that society is built900 Words   |  4 PagesDante’s Vision of Divine Justice Justice is one of the major building block that society is built upon. It gives people a sense of retribution when they have been wronged. In Dante’s Inferno, justice is served in the supernatural realm. Throughout this play, the reader is exposed to the inner working of hell and the nine circles of specialized punishment it is composed of. Justice, in Dante’s Inferno, differs from justice in the mortal world in that it is decided, not by humans, but by God. HoweverRead MoreAnalysis Of Dante s The Inferno 1286 Words   |  6 PagesDante Alighieri endured immeasurable adversity throughout his life when he began composing the Inferno. Affliction arose at a young age when Dante’s mother passed. Soon after, Dante met Beatrice and fell in love, yet a formal marriage contract with Gemma Donati prohibited Dante from pursuing Beatrice. In his early literary studies Dante met Guido Cavalcanti, his best friend, and Brunetto Latini, his mentor, and saturated himself with love poems centralizing Beatrice. At the age of eighteen DanteRead MoreThe Power Of Everyman s Journey Through Hell1249 Words   |  5 Pagesin Dante’s Inferno where the main character travels through Hell, where sinners receive punishment according to God’s justice. Dante Alighieri portrays himself as the â€Å"Everyman† in order for the reader to easily identify with him. In addition, the characterization of Virgil, the setting depicted in the Inferno and the story of Ulysses enhance the substance of the poem and contribute to its allegorical interpretation. However, allegorical interpretation does not detract from the original story asRead MoreAnalysis of Dante ´s Inferno Essay1606 Words   |  7 PagesDante’s Inferno is a very important piece of literature. There are many things to be learned from it, from the face value knowledge that Hell is a bad place, to a deeper understanding of how God intended us to live; but the most important lesson to be learned here is the power of allegory. Nancy Thuleen says this about it. â€Å"Dantes portrayal of Hell in the Inferno is an undisputed masterpiece of visual and allegorical imagery, enriched not only by extensive use of figurative language, but by concreteRead MoreDepictions of the Afterlife1060 Words   |  4 Pagesfound in Dante’s Divine Comedy. In his first book, The Inferno, Dante explores Hell, a place in which sinners dwell after they die. His account is mainly taken from Book VI of Virgil’s The Aeneid, which describes Aeneas’s journey into the Underworld to visit his father. These two works, written many years apart share similar ideas about life after death and it makes us consider the changes in society’s thoughts over these times. There are obvious differences found between these two stories and they