Karl Marx on Technology and Alienation PDF
Preview Karl Marx on Technology and Alienation
Karl Marx on Technology and Alienation This page intentionally left blank Karl Marx on Technology and Alienation Amy E. Wendling CreightonUniversity ©AmyE.Wendling2009 Allrightsreserved.Noreproduction,copyortransmissionofthis publicationmaybemadewithoutwrittenpermission. Noportionofthispublicationmaybereproduced,copiedortransmitted savewithwrittenpermissionorinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthe Copyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988,orunderthetermsofanylicence permittinglimitedcopyingissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgency, SaffronHouse,6-10KirbyStreet,LondonEC1N8TS. Anypersonwhodoesanyunauthorizedactinrelationtothispublication maybeliabletocriminalprosecutionandcivilclaimsfordamages. Theauthorhasassertedherrighttobeidentified astheauthorofthisworkinaccordancewiththeCopyright, DesignsandPatentsAct1988. Firstpublished2009by PALGRAVEMACMILLAN PalgraveMacmillanintheUKisanimprintofMacmillanPublishersLimited, registeredinEngland,companynumber785998,ofHoundmills,Basingstoke, HampshireRG216XS. PalgraveMacmillanintheUSisadivisionofStMartin’sPressLLC, 175FifthAvenue,NewYork,NY10010. PalgraveMacmillanistheglobalacademicimprintoftheabovecompanies andhascompaniesandrepresentativesthroughouttheworld. Palgrave®andMacmillan®areregisteredtrademarksintheUnitedStates, theUnitedKingdom,Europeandothercountries. ISBN-13:978–0–230–22440–7hardback ISBN-10:0–230–22440–7hardback Thisbookisprintedonpapersuitableforrecyclingandmadefromfully managedandsustainedforestsources.Logging,pulpingandmanufacturing processesareexpectedtoconformtotheenvironmentalregulationsofthe countryoforigin. AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Wendling,AmyE.,1976– KarlMarxontechnologyandalienation/AmyEWendling. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN-13:978–0–230–22440–7(hardback) ISBN-10:0–230–22440–7(hardback) 1. Marx,Karl,1818–1883. 2. Technology—Philosophy 3. Alienation(Philosophy) I. Title. B3305.M74W452009 335.4(cid:2)1—dc22 2008046488 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby CPIAntonyRowe,ChippenhamandEastbourne To the memory of my father, Neil Arthur Wendling This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1 KarlMarx’sConceptofAlienation 13 I Objectification,alienation,andestrangement:on Marx’sHegelianinheritance 14 II Otheroriginsof“alienation”and“objectification” 24 III Marx’saccountofalienation:fromearlytolate 37 IV Thealienatedobjectofproduction:commodity fetishism 49 V Thealienatedmeansofproduction:machine fetishism 55 2 MachinesandtheTransformationofWork 61 I Marx’senergeticistturn 66 II Thefirstlawofthermodynamics:Kraft,Stoff,andthe discourseofenergetics 71 III FromArbeittoArbeitskraft:Marx’stransformationof workfromself-actualizationtoenergyexpenditure 82 IV Thesecondlawofthermodynamics:entropy,theheat deathoftheuniverse,andrevolution 88 3 MachinesintheCommunistFuture 93 I Technologyandtheboundariesofnature 93 II Materialwealthandvalue:theGrundrisse’s “FragmentonMachines” 98 III Thestrifebetweentechnologyandcapital: thefallintherateofprofit 105 IV Enjoymentnotvalue:challengingthecapitalist logicofexhaustion 108 vii viii Contents V Manhimselfasfixedcapital:thesymbiosisofhuman andmachineintheproductionofmaterialwealth 117 VI Classkinshipandtheredistributionof themeansofproduction 121 4 MachinesintheCapitalistReality 128 I Betweenthermodynamicsandhumanism: approachingCapital 128 II Machineryasanhistoricalcategoryofproduction 136 III Machines,trains,andothercapitalistmonsters 145 IV Rough,foul-mouthedboys:women’smonstrous laboringbodies 155 V Wagelaborandrace 159 VI Wagelaborandsexuality 164 VII Machineryandrevolution 168 5 AlienationBeyondMarx 174 I ScienceandtechnologyinMarx’sexcerptnotebooks 178 II KarlMarxandCharlesBabbage:thespeedof productionintheEconomicManuscriptsof1861–1863 182 III Machinesandtemporality:thetreadmill effectandfreetime 192 IV Technophobiaandtechnophilia 199 V Technophobiaandtwentieth-centurytheory 206 Notes 213 References 233 Index 240 Acknowledgments This book has been greatly enriched in scope and detail, thanks to the timeIhavespent,overaperiodofyears,attheKarlMarxarchivesand research centers in Amsterdam and Berlin. I am grateful to the Inter- nationalDissertationFieldResearchFellowshipProgram—sponsoredby the Social Science Research Council in partnership with the American CouncilofLearnedSocietieswithfundingfromtheAndrewW.Mellon Foundation—fortheirsupportofresearchinbothEuropeancapitalsin 2003and2004.IamalsogratefultoaJ.WilliamFulbrightScholarship thatallowedmetospendninemonthsinAmsterdamin2003and2004. Finally, I am grateful for a Summer Faculty Fellowship from Creighton UniversitythatsentmetoBerlin,inthesummerof2008,togivethefini- shingtouchestotheproject.WhileabroadinAmsterdam,myresearch wasaidedbyFredSchraderandGoetzLankau,andinBerlin,itwasaided byRolfHecker. I spent many years in State College, Pennsylvania, at The Pennsylvania State University, where my mentor Dan Conway read multiple drafts of this work from its inception. I also benefited from thegenerousreadershipofmydissertationcommittee,includingEmily Grosholz, Shannon Sullivan, Mitchell Aboulafia, Nancy Tuana, and Susan Squier. The years would not have been as pleasant without the intellectual camaraderie of Al Lingis, Rick Lee, Claire Katz, Carl Mitcham, Vincent Colapietro, Will Roberts, Hasana Sharp, Sara Brill, LeighJohnson,MichaelBrayandBrianArmstrong. Whilewritingthebook,IalsospentayearinAustin,Texas,atSouth- westernUniversity,myalmamater,atthehomeofmyfirstphilosophy teacher,ShannonWinnubst.Shannon’squickmindandsharpwitmake herthemostpreciousofphilosophicalinterlocutors. All of my colleagues in the Philosophy Department at Creighton Universityhavemadeitawarmandwelcomingscholarlyhome.Patrick Murray and Jeanne Schuler share my love for Marx, and I treasure our scholarly exchanges. I am also grateful to Gene Selk, Elizabeth Cooke, William Stephens, Dick White, and Peggy Troy for their help on this project. Inaddition,IwishtothankDavidJ.Estrinforhiseditorialassistance inthefinalstagesoftheproject. ix
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