| This question <148|148> overall <147|149> Kalmerico: <52|229>. |
| Question 284: In 169:1, Marx calls the superficial understanding of the agents in capitalist society, their forms of thought, “socially accepted” or, in a more literal translation, “socially valid” and “objective.” Shouldn't he have called them “false” instead of “valid” and “subjective” instead of “objective”? |
| [148] Kalmerico: Capitalism: a false society. The superficial agents in a capitalist society should be labeled “false” and “subjective” as they serve as a cover-up for the underlying exploitation that is taking place. The value of a commodity is a direct result of labor exploitation, in which the worker only receives a small portion of the value he/she created through their labor with the rest of the value going to the capitalist. Another false reality is the idea we are in control of our own wealth and well-being, when in all actuality most people are separated completely from the means of production and must sell themselves as workers to the few wealthy capitalists. In fact, it would be safe to say that one has no control over his/herself in a capitalist society and we are just slaves to the system. However, this fact is not recognized by most as the majority only view capitalism on its surface level. |
| Hans: Your very good explanation makes it even more mysterious why Marx calls these forms “valid.” Perhaps because this falseness is an integral part of the social structure, rather than being an individual error. |
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