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A review by caris96
Capital Volume I: The Process of Production of Capital by Karl Marx
5.0
“Let us consider, on the other hand, the capitalist. He wishes to receive as much labour as possible for as little money as possible. In practice, therefore, the only thing that interests him is the difference between the price of labour-power and the value which its function creates. But he tries to buy all commodities as cheaply as possible, and his own invariable explanation of his profit is that it is a result of mere sharp practice, of buying under the value and selling over it. Hence he never comes to see that if such a thing as the value of labour really existed, and he really paid this value, no capital would exist, and his money would never be transformed into capital” (682).
As one of my most highly anticipated reads, I don’t think I could do a review of this work justice without another read and a lot of reflection. For now, I’m just going to give a few thoughts about my overall reading experience.
Capital is one of those books with such a profound historical and philosophical footprint that it’s hard not to jump into it with a lot of expectations. But even so, I was very impressed. This work is such a robust, well-researched polemic that I’m not sure how one could finish it with a remotely sympathetic view of capitalism unscathed. Throughout, Marx weaves together historical commentary, scientific analysis, and criticism of the capitalist mode of production. And he concludes with thirty pages on the total destruction that capitalism wages through colonization.
I think the most damning part of reading this was every few pages reading something horrible that employers were doing in the 1800’s (under legal protection from the state) and recalling umpteen instances of the same violations in our modern society. As Marx so concisely put it:
“What could be more characteristic of the capitalist mode of production than the fact that it is necessary, by Act of Parliament, to force upon the capitalists the simplest appliances for maintaining cleanliness and health?” (611).
Additionally, while some of Marx’s terminology is difficult to understand, I found most of the work to be more accessible than I expected. It also takes far less time to read than one might expect for ~1,000 pages. This is another must-read in my opinion.
As one of my most highly anticipated reads, I don’t think I could do a review of this work justice without another read and a lot of reflection. For now, I’m just going to give a few thoughts about my overall reading experience.
Capital is one of those books with such a profound historical and philosophical footprint that it’s hard not to jump into it with a lot of expectations. But even so, I was very impressed. This work is such a robust, well-researched polemic that I’m not sure how one could finish it with a remotely sympathetic view of capitalism unscathed. Throughout, Marx weaves together historical commentary, scientific analysis, and criticism of the capitalist mode of production. And he concludes with thirty pages on the total destruction that capitalism wages through colonization.
I think the most damning part of reading this was every few pages reading something horrible that employers were doing in the 1800’s (under legal protection from the state) and recalling umpteen instances of the same violations in our modern society. As Marx so concisely put it:
“What could be more characteristic of the capitalist mode of production than the fact that it is necessary, by Act of Parliament, to force upon the capitalists the simplest appliances for maintaining cleanliness and health?” (611).
Additionally, while some of Marx’s terminology is difficult to understand, I found most of the work to be more accessible than I expected. It also takes far less time to read than one might expect for ~1,000 pages. This is another must-read in my opinion.