The division of labor

[pushstop]

I have a few questions-

What exactly is the division of labor and how does it lead to a class society?
How can you avoid the division of labor in a communist society?

Thanks

[Muzk]

What exactly is the division of labor and how does it lead to a class society?
Division of labor is exactly what it says, for example, instead of 2 people creating 1 bread 1 shirt, one person does 2 bread and the other one 2 shirts. This example might not show the full potential of division of labor, but let me tell that it's a way to maximize production in any society. It causes alienation too, if you do the same thing over a long period of time, work becomes something where you are not human anymore, but part of a machine... but that's another thing.

The division of labor didn't lead to a class society, it was already there before, some people simply had the money to buy other peoples labor, this way accumulation started and they became richer and richer.
So, the division only simplified production. ( More in less time )

How can you avoid the division of labor in a communist society?It stays the way it is(no need to get rid of the factories), but people "rotate" through jobs, this way noone ever gets "bored" or alienated... it would be desirable to fully automatize production... or make it as unpleasurable as possible... y'know, some things have to be done; so, rotation is, at least I think so, the best way of solving the problem of "bad jobs"

The division of labor as a neccessary part of industrialization is part of the way we are going to use to give every human being the things he needs... paired with central planning, we can achieve just about anything!

[Nolan]

Good point Muzk, but I think central planning would only exist in socialism, alongside other forms of planning.

[pushstop]

Thanks for answering. Is the division of labor every kind of specialization of labor, or only ones relating to production (usually menial too)? For example, does being a history teacher at a high school cause alienation the same way being a worker in a factory does?

[Muzk]

Thanks for answering. Is the division of labor every kind of specialization of labor, or only ones relating to production (usually menial too)? For example, does being a history teacher at a high school cause alienation the same way being a worker in a factory does?

No, it's actually a quite pleasurable job, if you compare it to the factory worker...

Then, one must not forget that even a job that seems easy (like being a teacher) is actually much more time consuming and stressful than others. Teachers are mostly pushed towards a 24/7 job, talking at school all the time, then, afterwards, correcting tests, preparing the next day, talking to petty bourgeoise parents complaining about whatever...

There's no job other than the job of a capitalist that isn't alienating... at least that's what I think, didn't really use any "famous" marxist's thoughts now

Then there's my politics teacher saying because we have jobs we don't go crazy! How can this religious nut think of such a stupid thing that goes against all human logic?! She even forbid me to refute her bullshit!:crying:
The best thing was how she said "if women with children work full time on top of having children, they are happier than others. It's been proven!" I almost vomited

[AmericanRed]

I'll quote from the socialist economist Pat Devine:


"Generalising from Marx’s distinction, we can classify activities, or labour, into different categories. I have suggested five: administering, directing and planning; creative activity; caring and nurturing; skilled activity; unskilled and repetitive activity … Within each category there is a wide variety of different functional activities. The first four categories, freed from the relationships of domination and subordination arising from the hierarchy of social power, are in different ways psychologically productive and contribute to the realisation of human potentiality. The fifth category is in general psychologically unproductive and an important social objective should be to reduce the amount of such activity that has to be undertaken.


"Abolition of the social division of labour means ending the social stratification that arises when people spend their lives performing primarily just one category of activity, when they are defined by their jobs as skilled or unskilled workers, creative or caring workers, or are members of the establishment who direct and run society in all its aspects. It does not mean ending the functional division of labour. Rather, there would be an expectation that over their lives people would specialise in functional activities within each category, performing their share of the labour that is socially necessary within each category."

[Guerrilla22]

The breaking down of production into specific tasks. Smith's famous example of the production of pins. It supposively makes production more efficient and the products of better quality.