Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. To conclude our Marx treatment, we continue from part one, finally getting into his "Fragment on Machines" (1858). Shouldn't automating work free the workers? No! According to Marx, the (then-current) process of automation actually just makes labor conditions worse and certainly doesn't give Continue Reading …
Ep. 361: Marx on Machines (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Yet more time spent on Karl Marx finishes up our treatment of Capital, Ch. 1, and throws in the mix "Fragment on Machines" (1858), which we'll discuss explicitly in part two of this. You should probably listen to our Marx series first, starting with ep. 359. In Capital, we finally get to Continue Reading …
Ep. 361: Marx on Machines (Part Two for Supporters)
To conclude our Marx treatment, we continue from part one, finally getting into his "Fragment on Machines" (1858). Shouldn't automating work free the workers? No! According to Marx, the (then-current) process of automation actually just makes labor conditions worse and certainly doesn't give people more free time, as the capitalist inevitably takes all the gains from greater Continue Reading …
Ep. 361: Marx on Machines (Part One for Supporters)
Yet more time spent on Karl Marx finishes up our treatment of Capital, Ch. 1, and throws in the mix "Fragment on Machines" (1858), which we'll discuss explicitly in part two of this. You should probably listen to our Marx series first, starting with ep. 359. In Capital, we finally get to the little bit that Marx says about actual communism, where there are no commodities Continue Reading …
Ep. 360: Karl Marx on Economic Value (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Continuing from part one on Capital, Ch. 1 on commodities. We go into detail on his account of how money gets derived from the continued comparison of various commodities, how use value comes back into play when we compare the economic value of one commodity as compared to another, and Continue Reading …
Ep. 360: Karl Marx on Economic Value (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On Capital (1867), Ch. 1, "The Commodity." This continues our discussion in our last episode introducing Marx's economic project. So how does one begin to explain a holistic system? Marx chooses to start with wealth, i.e. the thing Adam Smith was trying to explain in The Wealth of Nations, and Continue Reading …
Ep. 360: Karl Marx on Economic Value (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on Capital, Ch. 1 on commodities. We go into detail on his account of how money gets derived from the continued comparison of various commodities, how use value comes back into play when we compare the economic value of one commodity as compared to another, and finally, the details of commodity fetishism. Next time: We're adding a reading we actually Continue Reading …
Ep. 360: Karl Marx on Economic Value (Part One for Supporters)
On Capital (1867), Ch. 1, "The Commodity." This continues our discussion in our last episode introducing Marx's economic project. So how does one begin to explain a holistic system? Marx chooses to start with wealth, i.e. the thing Adam Smith was trying to explain in The Wealth of Nations, and wealth, for Marx, is represented in the commodity: stuff that we buy and sell. So Continue Reading …
Closereads: Marx on Stirner (Part One)
Sign up for Closereads at patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy to get future parts on this reading, as well as our previous and future installments of this podcast. Why are there two audio players? The first is ad-free for PEL Supporters. Mark and Wes read through and discuss Karl Marx's The German Ideology (1846), delving deep into the middle of his critique of Max Continue Reading …
Ep. 359: Karl Marx’s Project (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. We continue from part one on the introduction to the Grundrisse (1857), which is essentially a set of notes written in the composition of his major work, Capital, which we'll deal with explicitly in ep. 360. Sponsor: Learn about St. John's College at sjc.edu/pel. What exactly is Continue Reading …
Ep. 359: Karl Marx’s Project (Part Two for Supporters)
We continue from part one on the introduction to the Grundrisse (1857), which is essentially a set of notes written in the composition of his major work, Capital, which we'll deal with explicitly in ep. 360. What exactly is universal and natural about our economic patterns, and what is a matter of historical epoch? Marx claims we can't just see the distribution of goods and Continue Reading …
Ep. 359: Karl Marx’s Project (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On the introduction to Marx's Grundrisse, aka Foundations of a Critique of Political Economy (1857) with an appetizer of "Theses on Feuerbach" (1845). This is the first of three discussions we'll be having on Marx's "mature" work, and we were also assigned the first chapter (and introduction Continue Reading …
Ep. 359: Karl Marx’s Project (Part One for Supporters)
On the introduction to Marx's Grundrisse, aka Foundations of a Critique of Political Economy (1857) with an appetizer of "Theses on Feuerbach" (1845). This is the first of three discussions we'll be having on Marx's "mature" work, and we were also assigned the first chapter (and introduction and 2nd edition afterward) of his Capital (1867), though we're not going to get around Continue Reading …
Ep. 355: Marx on Alienation (Part Three for Supporters)
Your four hosts reconvene to talk more about "Private Property and Communism" (1844). Listen to parts one and two first. After some comments about the relation between property, labor, and capital, Marx distinguishes his view from the "crude communism" of his contemporaries (e.g. Proudhon): Just getting rid of private property in favor of communal ownership won't fix a Continue Reading …
Ep. 355: Marx on Alienation (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content, including a supporter-exclusive, part three to this episode. Listen to a preview.. Continuing from part one on "Estranged Labor," "Private Property and Communism," and "The Power of Money on Bourgeois Society" with guest Lawrence Dallman. So humanity is the working animal: the kind of Continue Reading …
Ep. 355: Marx on Alienation (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On three of Karl Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, "Estranged Labor," "Private Property and Communism," and "The Power of Money on Bourgeois Society." The full foursome are joined by returning guest Lawrence Dallman, who now teaches at Bryn Mawr College. Sponsor: If you Continue Reading …
Ep. 355: Marx on Alienation (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on "Estranged Labor," "Private Property and Communism," and "The Power of Money on Bourgeois Society" with guest Lawrence Dallman. So humanity is the working animal: the kind of productive work that we do--fed by feeling, expressing our capabilities, meeting our needs--is our essential nature, so we'd better be doing it in a way that doesn't mess us Continue Reading …
Ep. 355: Marx on Alienation (Part One for Supporters)
On three of Karl Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, "Estranged Labor," "Private Property and Communism," and "The Power of Money on Bourgeois Society." The full foursome are joined by returning guest Lawrence Dallman, who now teaches at Bryn Mawr College. What exactly is the plight of the poor? It's not just that they don't have money, says Marx, and while Continue Reading …
The Diamond-Water Paradox and the Subjective Theory of Value
In his famous work The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith articulated a paradox that he could not resolve: water is essential to life; diamonds a mere decoration. Yet for all that, we are willing to lavish enormous sums on pretty rocks while taking clean water for granted. What could explain this disconnect? Smith’s confusion stemmed from his understanding of the source of Continue Reading …
The Open Society and Its Frenemies: Karl Popper’s Defense of Science and Liberalism for the 21st Century
In 1919, a total eclipse of the sun provided a rare opportunity to test Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Arthur Eddington, a British astronomer and admirer of Einstein who had resisted the nationalist hatreds of the First World War, sent two teams to the mid-Atlantic to observe Mercury during the eclipse, and test the German scientist’s theory. To the astonishment of Continue Reading …