Capitalist Quote by Karl Marx
““The very same bourgeois mentality which extols the manufacturing division of labour, the life-long annexation of the worker to a partial operation, and the unconditional subordination of the detail worker to capital, extols them as an organisation of labour which increases productivity - denounces just as loudly every kind of deliberate social control and regulation of the social process of production, denounces it as an invasion of the inviolable property rights, liberty and self-determining genius of the individual capitalist. It is characteristic that the inspired apologists of the factory system can find nothing worse to say of any proposal for the general organisation of social labour, than that it would transform the whole of society into a factory.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Capital, Volume I, 1867
Marx critiques how capitalism praises productivity while condemning collective organization as a threat to property and individual liberty, revealing a double standard.
In simple terms: Capitalism praises productivity but attacks collective labor organization.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and question double standards in economic arguments.
Themes
capitalism
labor
productivity
individualism
collectivism
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- union organizing
- corporate governance
- social movement planning
- academic discourse
Key Concepts
dialectical materialism
ideology
economic critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this double standard affect modern labor policy?
- Can collective organization coexist with individual liberty?
A Different Perspective
Marx’s view may overlook benefits of coordinated labor in certain contexts.
