By the way was there a specific work you recommend that delves into Marx's concept of freedom? — Maw
but all of a sudden, when it comes to strategies for increasing the sum-total of human liberation in the world, — StreetlightX
Need to hit the sack but a quick comment: the exercise of force and coordination of power are the conditions of, and not constraints upon, the exercise of freedom. — StreetlightX
But the Marxist rhetoric tends to carry a certain baggage — Marchesk
Elon Musk is most definitely intelligent, otherwise he wouldn't be where he is. — Chester
Leftists are obsessed with money, they see it as an expression of power...so Marx explaining time through the concept of making money from clocks is a bit of a laugh. — Chester
So we can live under conditions in which people thrive because they have autonomy over their lives. That is, in principle, a liberal conception. But it cannot be realised under capitalism, because most people spend most of their day under somebody else's supervision and control - namely at work. Every day, they sell not only their labour power but also their autonomy for a certain number of hours. Thus, they lose freedom, which in turn means a loss of self-determination. The power that the capitalists exert over workers doesn't benefit workers, it benefits the enterprise, which often enough turns against the workers. If you depend on someone else for your survival for the rest of your life, you are constantly forced to ensure that you remain competitive, i.e. cheaper and more productive than others. Your entire social environment is influenced and shaped by this competition, which extends into leisure time too." — StreetlightX
But it cannot be realised under capitalism, because most people spend most of their day under somebody else's supervision and control - namely at work. Every day, they sell not only their labour power but also their autonomy for a certain number of hours. Thus, they lose freedom, which in turn means a loss of self-determination. — StreetlightX
So as much as I agree with his assessment, I don't see any way out of not working for something. You may not work for someone but you will work for something. That is what he doesn't seem to say. — schopenhauer1
Yes, because he's unconcerned with anti-natalist/pessimist bullshit. I said it before and I'll say it again, try to steer this thread in that direction and I will continue to delete your comments. You can peddle that crap elsewhere. — StreetlightX
No, I'm uninterested in anything you have to say. — StreetlightX
Workers are free to start their own businesses, become contractors, seek other employment, or work their way up the ladder. — Marchesk
In any case, the point is not to do away with work, but to work, if necessary, so that the benefits accrue to the workers, and not their employers. Hence the strategic goal of socialism: that workers own the means of production. — StreetlightX
Except, this entire analysis is bullshit, as without janitors and warehouse employees and so on, the entire economy collapses, as has been the case with COVID. You may be at the game to watch Lebron James, but the possibility of seeing that game, at that scale, with those seats, is enabled by an entire underclass that undergrids your 'enjoyment'. — StreetlightX
But they get to make that decision; someone else doesn't get to make it for them all. — Pfhorrest
You seem to miss the part where the skill of an NBA player or top engineer is rare, and people are willing to pay more for that. If everyone gets the same cut, then you've distorted the value of the market, and that's where shortages and starvation enter the picture. — Marchesk
And of course, that we as a society decide to 'value' the rarity of some guy who can juggle his balls well is an entirely political deicison - — StreetlightX
Considering that the NBA was among the first industries shut down as being entirely superfluous in the wake of COVID, — StreetlightX
we can well afford not to waste gargantuan sums of money on, effectively, an entirely useless activity — StreetlightX
one that operates at the expense of others. — StreetlightX
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