Me: > let's see. The Ancient slave-owner dehumanizes labor by assigning > weights to different kinds of labor (2.3 field hands = 1 swineherd, > etc.), valuing different workers according to the relative benefit to > the slave-owner (in terms of use-value produced for him or her?) The > capitalist, on the other hand, dehumanizes labor by valuing labor > according to the amount of revenues collected by selling the commodity > each worker produces (i.e., his or her exchange-value). So if it is > going to use "values" in planning, how would a socialist economy > dehumanize labor? > > In other words, why should socialism emulate either Ancient Roman > slavery or the capitalist mode of production?
Paul: > ... The reason I cite Varro was to illustrate that the economists of the > ancient world knew about calculations in terms of labour time and the > rational use of labour resources given the production relations of the day.< interesting. A slave-owner's use of slave labor (or "labor resources") can be "rational." Didn't Fogel and Engerman write about the optimal amount of whipping of slaves in their TIME ON THE CROSS? Is that's what's meant by "rational." > But I am not sure just what your question about dehumanising relates to? Both the ancient slave-owner and the capitalist quantify labor in order to manage it, to treat human beings or their efforts as mere inputs into production -- just like raw materials or the machines. This is in effect dehumanizing (though _full_ dehumanization -- i.e., exploitation, alienation -- is ruled out by worker resistance). With socialism (and I don't mean the really-existing "socialism" of the now-defunct USSR), the point is to stop treating workers as mere objects and to allow us to be subjects in our collective creation of our history. The point is to allow the humanization (or rather, self-humanization) of people. The dividing-line between the owners (the slave owners, capitalists) and the workers (slaves, proletarians) breaks down, hopefully to be abolished completely (with communism). Any government officials will be subordinated to the democratic will of the workers. The workers will likely not treat themselves as mere inputs to a production process. The dividing-line between labor and leisure will also be going away. The quantification of labor-time becomes impossible. -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
