4 ms·

Quibble - this comes from Smith. It's not specifically a Marxist complaint - just one popular with them.

• bicubic 8y ago
  Mind referencing where Smith highlights this as a drawback of capitalism? I'd like to learn more.
  • icebraining 8y ago
    Book V of the Wealth of Nations has a long passage about the ill effects of the division of labor (or more specifically, of the constant repetition of simple tasks) on the workers. Here: https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/smith-adam/works/wealth-of-nations/book05/ch01c-2.htm https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/smith-adam/works/... (search for "In the progress of the division of labour")
    • bicubic 8y ago
      Cheers, that was a good read. I'd still attribute the argument to Marx, because Smith doesn't seem to link this effect with the inherent values of capitalism. Turns out there's also a wikipedia page outlining the history of this line of reasoning: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_of_labour#Henri-Louis_Duhamel_du_Monceau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_of_labour#Henri-Louis...
      • bachbach 8y ago
        But the word 'Capitalism' did not exist in Smith's day!