Marx and Weber: Capitalism

Marx and Weber: Capitalism A comparison of Marx and Webers theories with respect to their ideas and interpretations on capitalism. Marxs view of the industrialist society he lived in was one of inequality and driven by capitalism. His ideas and interpretations of capitalism are based on historical precedent and industrialism. He calls the capitalist ownership class, the bourgeoisie, owning the means of production, whilst describing the working class, the proletariat, who provide the means of production. He viewed this capitalist system as being an unjust and unfair one which exploited the proletariat to provide profit and gains for the bourgeoisie. Marx saw capitalism as merely a progression of previous modes of production, such as slavery and feudalism, becoming a system of production of commodities which exploited the workers for the profitable gain of the capitalist bourgeoisie. In the feudal and slavery systems, however, the medieval lords and slave owners were responsible for the welfare of their workers. Whereas, in the capitalist society he saw the capitalists taking unfair advantage of the workers, with a minority owing and monopolising the ownership of the means of production, whilst gaining big profits at the expense of the workers. Wage labourers produce commodities, goods which are produced for exchange. The commodities are sold on the market, and the capitalist pays the labourer a wage. The capitalist gives up some of his capital to the wage labourer in the form of wages in return for the use of his/her labour- power. Labour-power is thus itself a commodity; it is bought and sold A labourer depended on the market value of his skills, or production, to earn a living which the capitalist would sell for maximum profit. However, this profit did not feed back down to the worker, instead it went into the pockets of the already wealthy capitalist. He believed that the workers were exploited for their labour in order to survive. Marx believed that society had progressed through stages of history with each stage providing its own destruction to allow it to progress to a new stage. He believed that every stage of history only progressed to the next stage through a social revolution of some kind and gave it the term Dialectical Materialism . He believed that the economy and materialism are the driving forces behind historical change. He saw the main difference between men and animals, as mans ability to produce his own living, in other words, man owns his own mode of production. However, he saw the workers ability becoming diminished in the factories and with manual labour, with the worker being alienated from his means of production by being given solely specific tasks to complete in a production line. Ultimately, he proposed that through the progression of history, capitalism would be overcome by a revolt of the working class in order for them to overcome their oppression by the capitalists, giving way to a f airer and equal society. He argued that economic structure should be planned to suit the people. Unfortunately in some cases, his theories were taken and twisted by others, giving way to an even more oppressive society, for example, communism in the Union of Soviet Republics (Russia) and the Republic of China, where the control of the working classes were still in the hands of the select few. In contrast, Weber believed that Marxist theories were too simple as he thought Marx saw mainly economic grounds being the driving force behind capitalism. Webers ideas and interpretations on capitalism are predominantly derived from his major work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904-05). From most of the readings done for this essay, it would appear at first sight that Weber views religion as the driving force behind capitalism. However, this is too simplistic a view. Weber was not only interested in the role of religion in capitalism; he was also very interested in discovering the values behind the individuals social behaviour. He saw workers doing what they do because of their commitment to their family, which is why people go to work although the work may not be great and the pay not very substantial. Weber is more interested in the actions of the individual and the affects of society on the individual; therefore, he defines sociology in a different way than Marx, believing that individuals are shaped by their own motives and desires. He liked to use categories and typologies, using three main categories, traditi on, charismatic and legal rational authority. Weber had a wide range of interests, class, social stratification, modernity and religion. Being interested in discovering why capitalism was a Western phenomenon and developed in certain European countries during the industrial revolution, he undertook a study of these countries. In his work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904-05), Weber makes a connection between protestant beliefs and the emergence of capitalism. Although religion did not bring about capitalism, Weber suggested that religion can cause social change, which in turn could fuel the process of capitalism. He uses Calvinism as an example of how change can be brought about. Calvinists believed that you were already predestined to go to heaven and were either among the elect or not, before you were born. Nothing that happened during your life here earth would alter this election. Calvinism was a puritan form of Protestantism, focusing on self denial, hard work and a predetermined selection for entrance into heaven. As Calvinists did not have any way of knowing whether or not they were part of the elect, they had to act as if they had been chosen; therefore, they lived good lives here on earth and worked hard. It was this ascetic work ethic that Weber believes drove capitalism as making a lot of money was a sign of hard work and no play. As they denied themselves any comfort and pleasures in life, the money they had over and above their meagre living expenses was ploughed into the business making them different from other money makers, in so much that, they made money for moneys sake which was not spent on the frivolities in life. Weber theorised that this Protestant ethic gave rise, encouraging and promoting modern capitalism. He argues that formal rationalisation (the rationale behind making money) would overtake religion and do away with it altogether. Weber saw capitalism as a process of rationalisation and argues that there are s ix factors which are necessary for capitalism to succeed : The appropriation of material means of production; Market freedom; Rational technology (principally mechanisation); Calculable law (forms of adjudication and administration which allow for predictable outcomes); Formally free labour (persons who voluntarily sell their labour-power but must do so to stave off starvation); And the commercialisation of economic life. All these conditions are necessary ingredients in the rise of capitalism in Webers view . Weber also saw bureaucracy as playing a major role in capitalism. Bureaucracy is the form of social organisation in and through which rational-legal authority is exercised and maintained. It is also the form which clearly takes hold with the advent of capitalist economic order. One does not cause the other to arise; they have a h3 affinity Where Marx felt that alienation of the workers from thier products by division of labour within the capitalist system allowed exploitation of workers for capitalist gains, thereby limiting their true freedom, Weber believed that it was bureacracies and rationalisaton that restricted human freedom. Marx believed that mans freedom under capitalism was deceptive and not true freedom. He believed that capitalist wage labour restricted the worker and was really a form of forced labour as the worker relied on his wage to live. The worker could only sell his labour for the price the capitalist would pay for this work or production and for Marx, capitalism was predominantly as system of commodity production and an economic driven system. Weber argued that workers lost control of their work through the forces of rational controlled production and believed that it was inevitable that the bureacracy of the capitalist system would change processes in labour and production order to gain the best profit. But capitalism is identical with the pursuit of profit, and forever renewed profit, by means of continuous, rational, capitalistic enterprise . Weber argued that in a capitalist society the individual join the organised structures and orginasations which are put in place to ensure an effecient structure to ensure the best profit. By joining these organisations, the individual loses their individuality and get cut off themselves and lost in the officialdom, and therefore, become alienated. Weber tends to be seen, or portrayed, as much more pessimistic than Marx. Weber sees society becoming locked in an Iron Cage through bureaucracy, rationality and authority. This order is now bound to the technical and economic conditions of machine production which today determine the lives of all the individuals who are born into this mechanism, not only those directly concerned with economic acquisition, with irresistible force. Perhaps it will so determine them until the last ton of fossilized coal is burnt. In Baxters view the care for external goods should only lie on the shoulders of the saint like a light cloak, which can be thrown aside at any moment. But fate decreed that the cloak should become an iron cage Marx was much more optimistic and saw the possibility of social change through a working class revolution, believing that social democracy is an alternative to capitalism.

Importance of Small and Mediun Entreptises in a Developing Economy

ID NUMBER: 11060659 COURSE: MANAGEMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES (SMEs) LECTURER: MR. ADAMS FADIR-RAHMAN DATE: 21-4-2010 QUESTION: TO WHAT EXTENT DO CAN IT BE SAID THAT GHANA CANNOT DEVELOP WITHOUT THE ACTIVITIES OF SMEs OPERATORS Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are companies whose headcount or turnover falls below certain limits. And the limit depends on the country in which the company is operating. SMEs contribute immensely to the economic development of a country . And it can be said that a developing country like Ghana cannot develop without the contribution of SMEs due to the following reasons: Firstly, SMEs contribute significantly to the provision of productive employment opportunities for rural and urban growing labor force in Ghana. The provision of employment opportunities increases the generation of income by the people . And when most of the people in the country are employed, it leads to the reduction of poverty. Secondly, they help to absorb productive resources at all levels of the economy and add to the flexible economic system in which small and large firms are interlinked. Such linkages are very crucial for the attraction of foreign investment. This is because the investing transnational corporations look for sound domestic suppliers for their supply chain. Thirdly, SMEs provide substitution for imported goods which create competition and leads to production of quality goods at affordable prices. This is to say that the substitutes of imported goods produced in Ghana by SMEs helps to create competition between the SMEs and the foreign producers. And this forces them to produce quality goods at affordable prices since there is competition. Furthermore, SMEs help in the provision of capital to individuals, other businesses and even the government. When the SMEs generate their income, they deposited them in the various commercial banks in Ghana. It is from these funds that the banks advance loans to their needy customers. And these funds are sometimes loaned to the government to finance its developmental projects. Also, the income generated by the SMEs is subject to tax. Thus their returns are taxed for the development of the nation. These taxes, when collected, are used for the construction of roads, schools, hospitals and other social amenities. More so, SMES help to produce and enhance the movement of goods outside the country. They also help to the country to export its raw materials or natural resources to foreign countries for foreign exchange. And it also paves the way for some local goods to be marketed outside the country. And this help to increase the gross domestic product (GDP) and per capital income of the country. Lastly, Most of the current larger enterprises have their origin in small and medium enterprises. This is to say that most of the large scale enterprises in Ghana were SMEs before their current state. SMEs are different from large scale enterprises in three main aspects; uncertainty, innovation and evolution. Therefore we can say that SMEs are the starting point of development in the Ghanaian economy towards industrialization. In a nutshell, judging from above, we can see that there is no way that Ghana can develop without the operations of SMEs. So what is required is for the government of Ghana to pursue the precise policy and regulatory reforms to turn SMEs into an effective instrument for the enhancement of economic growth. REFERENCE: SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTREPRISES,JONATHAN BLAY ,1993,CANADA IMPORTANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTREPRISES IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,BASHIR AHMED FIDA,PAKISTAN,2008. WWW. THEFREELIBRARY. COM

Tragedy And The Common Man By Arthur Miller - 1675 Words

In Arthur Miller’s Essay entitled â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man,† the author states, â€Å"I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in his highest sense as kings were.† (Miller 14) The author deems that each individual had tragedies particularly the common man who dealt with it in his lifetime. He contends that tragedy possibly will also depict ordinary people in domestic surroundings. Miller had a new view of tragedy in which he saw tragic experience as impartial of widespread ethical matters. But, in all honesty, I would argue against Miller’s view of believing that tragedy is impossible in a world of moral relativity. Many views of tragedy have been portrayed over time; nonetheless the author shows a side which not many people seem to relate tragedy with although it is most likely one of the most common. In his paper, he describes a view of tragedy that is very different to how it has been illustrated in the past. This in turn ho oks the readers with two works that seemingly contradict with the ideas of Miller and can be seen as tragedies, they include Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart and William Butler Yeats’ poem â€Å"The Second Coming.† In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, as we all readers know pursues the stereotypical set-up of developing a tragic hero to a certain extent. In my eyes, the common man is Okonkwo whose tragic figure is troubled with a fatal flaw that in the long run, directs to the ultimate devastation of him and thoseShow MoreRelatedTragedy and Common Man by Arthur Miller1559 Words   |  7 PagesTragedy and the Common Man by Arthur Miller In this age few tragedies are written. It has often been held that the lack is due to a paucity of heroes among us, or else that modern man has had the blood drawn out of his organs of belief by the skepticism of science, and the heroic attack on life cannot feed on an attitude of reserve and circumspection. 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Robert Silverberg agrees with Aristotle’s views on tragedy, but other authors don’t acceptRead More Death of a Salesman is a Tragedy as Defined in Millers Tragedy and the Common Man1046 Words   |  5 PagesDeath of a Salesman is a Tragedy as Defined in Millers Tragedy and the Common Man In Tragedy and the Common Man, Arthur Miller discusses his definition and criteria for tragedy as they apply to the common man. The criteria and standards proposed by Miller may be used to evaluate his timeless work, Death of A Salesman. The first major standard of tragedy set forth is:   â€Å"...if the exaltation of tragic action were truly a property of the high-bred character alone, it is inconceivable thatRead MoreConventions of Tragedy in A View From The Bridge By Arthur Miller1100 Words   |  5 PagesConventions of Tragedy in A View From The Bridge By Arthur Miller Arthur Miller manipulates his characters and uses literary devices to effectively convey to the audience the trajectory of Eddie Carbone and his flaws of misconduct in the play, A View From The Bridge. He uses all the conventions of a modern tragedy adequately to help arouse sympathy, suspense and fear from the audience at significant intervals of the playRead MoreA Survey of Tragedy984 Words   |  4 PagesA Survey of Tragedy A modern tragedy of today and a tragedy of ancient Greece are two very different concepts, but ironically, both are linked by many similarities. In â€Å"Poetics†, Aristotle defines and outlines tragedy for theatre in a way that displays his genius, but raises questions and creates controversy. Aristotle’s famous definition of tragedy states: â€Å"A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious, and also as having magnitude, complete in itself in language with pleasurable accessories

Analysis Of Frankenstein And The Modern Prometheus

Victor’s Foolishness: Using Science to Learn Natures Secrets â€Å"I have always described myself as always having been imbued with a fevering longing to penetrate the secrets of science† Victor Frankenstein (Shelley, pg34). In the novel Frankenstein and the Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley romanticism of nature ties in to her fear of science. In the novel a knowledgeable individual named Victor creates a creature out of dead human parts and sparks life into it with electricity. The birth of the creature creates a catastrophic end for Victors family, friends, and himself. Mary Shelley uses the monster to show people the dangers in science. Nature in the novel is used as way to cope with the evil of science and is shown as the opposite of the nature of man. Death in the novel signifies what happens when humans try to defy nature with their own hands. Victor was foolish as he thought he could play God and all ended disastrous. Mary Shelley believes in the power of nature, and she demonstrates this by relating it to death and science. The novel of Frankenstein begins with Victor attending the University of Ingolstadt where he is pursing to learn about natural science. Mary Shelley states an event where Victor is recalling a past memory â€Å"Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate; I desire therefore, in this narration, to state those facts which led to my predilection for that of science Victor Frankenstein (Shelly, pg68). This is a very important memory ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Frankenstein Or The Modern Prometheus 1388 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Beginning o Myth of Prometheus †¢ Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is the complete title of Mary Shelley’s flamboyant monster novel, which includes an allusion to Prometheus. 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While it cannot be denied that this accomplishment is impressive, Victor’s right to form life, being a mortal himselfRead MoreFrankenstein Novel Analysis Essay1664 Words   |  7 PagesMyrjun Angeles Ms. Ammendolia EWC4UI 10/13/17 Frankenstein Novel Analysis Frankenstein is partly an epistolary novel. In what way do the letters at the beginning of the text help frame the story that follows? The series of letters at the beginning of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley are from Robert Walton, and were sent to his sister, Margaret Saville. In each letter, Walton tells his sister of updates while he’s on one of many sea trips and to coincide with that, readers of the novel get a glimpseRead MorePsychoanalytic Criticism Of Frankenstein883 Words   |  4 PagesBrittany James Mrs.Shelley Wisener ENGL 2321: Frankenstein Analysis Essay 29 September 2017 Title Citations Unsure to keep Better way to word this? ADD INTROOOO In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein there is a strong factor of Psychoanalytic Criticism, specifically the Oedipus Complex. The Oedipus Complex is derived from a child s need for their parents attention, as they mature they realize they are not the absolute focus of their [parent s] attention (Brizee 1995). In the child s mindRead MoreVictor Frankenstein Character Analysis Essay1645 Words   |  7 PagesMs. Straatsma ENG4U0-A Ryan Makhanlall ISU Reading Analysis Questions/Notes – Frankenstein by: Mary Shelley Character Analysis: Give your ideas about the main characters(s). Include what you like and dislike about the characters and why they deserve praise or criticism. Does the author intend for you to like/dislike them? How do you know? Victor Frankenstein: Victor Frankenstein, is the protagonist who describes his life to Robert Walton. In my opinion, Victor shows his ambition, logic and intelligenceRead More`` Moral Machines `` By Robert J. Sawyer And Gary Marcus1056 Words   |  5 PagesMarcus reveal the relationship of science fiction and ethics to technology which relates to the themes of Prometheus through science fiction and ethical motives. Prometheus was well known for giving the human race the gift of fire. He delivered fire to the world by stealing it from Zeus due to a conflict between the two. Prometheus was punished for his wrongdoing in which Zeus chained Prometheus to a boulder so an eagle would come to eat his liver every day. Prometheus’s actions can represent a themeRead MoreAnalysis Of Prometheus And Frankenstein By Mary Shelley Essay1996 Words   |  8 Pagesworld around us. The modern world has a lot to do with the monster that we create to help us understand the world better. Rather than being blunt and saying what scares us, we as people create monsters to give a face of our internal fears. The faces we give the monsters are not always the faces of what scares us as people. We mix imagination with reality to create this monsters that scare us. Yet we can’t seem to get enough of monster’s stories. Comparing Prometheus and Frankenstein both written in two