Automation and labor
Is Marx equal to Adam Smith
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5829112 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Benedito Rodrigues De Moraes-Neto (Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), corresponding author), Benedito Moraes-Neto |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 407-422 |
| Publication date | 2004-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Rethinking Marxism (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0893-5696 • E-ISSN: 1475-8059 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0893569042000270898 |
| OpenAlex | W1987054561 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 6 |
The qualifications for employment within the modern microelectronic-based, automated systems can be understood as a negation of the Marxist claim that work would come to demand less skill as technology developed. This paper attempts to criticize this interpretation by seeking the work-deskilling concept in the writings of Marx himself. The result is the proposition that that which is observed in the modern factory-that is, the radical dispensability of living work-really mirrors work deskilling according to Marx. The more usual idea of work deskilling, attributed erroneously to Marx, is in reality Smithian in nature. Based on this analysis, a critical analysis is made of Labor and Monopoly Capital by Braverman, which has become accepted as the definitive interpretation of the ideas of Marx on the subject. The sole cause for confusion arising from equating the Marxist and Smithian analyses concerning technology and work should be attributed to an incorrect understanding of Taylorism and Fordism. Here we propose that recent technological developments in reality signify an end to the mistake of equating Marx with Smith, and also indicate the great relevance of Marx today. Keywords: Labor ProcessTechnological DevelopmentTaylorism-FordismAutomationDeskillingMarxist Analysis Acknowledgments Translated with the support of the FUNDUNESP-Foundation for the Development of São Paulo State University
Capital (architecture · Deskilling · Fordism · Mistake · Subjectivism · Technocracy · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Elite Sociology and Global Capitalism · Political Economy and Marxism
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.11 |
| Citation span | 2008 - 2023 (16) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |