Adam Smith and Karl Marx Essay - 1267 Words

The task of political economy, Marx argued, was to understand all the presumptions within productive and social relations which made social life in a given form possible at a particular time.(Peterson,17). In some nations, as Hobbes states, the lives of the poor are nasty,brutish and short, by contrast in other nations , the poor do better within same levels of wealth. The aim of political economy is to understand the processes that produce these differences. The two historical figures that analyzed capitalism were A.Smith and K.Marx. Their philosophy differ in the way each viewed the human conditions and the role of the individual. It could be argued that history has shown Smith to be right and Marx to be wrong but the fact is that each†¦show more content†¦Marx believes that in his society labor activity is not a pain since one class isnt forced to work for the other. Thus, for Marx the needs and capacities of labor are universal. Activities of people determine how they develop their capacities and the society determines the result of these activities. For Marx, human nature is changeable and that new social conditions create new kinds of individuals. So, Marx disagrees with the fact that capitalism is inevitable because it is formed of basic human desires. Marx would argue that capitalist society itself creates those desires. Because humans create the social and natural environment and as a result improve themselves during this process, they become historical beings. They have the power to decide their future and change things. In fact, the ability to control ones future and develop in the process is how Marx describes freedom. His freedom is positive on one hand and social on the other. It focuses on the capability of activity, many of which are social and therefore can be appreciated without other individuals.(Moon,8-10) In order to understand Marxs human nature, we have to take a close look at alienation. TheShow MoreRelatedKarl Marx And Adam Smith Essay1639 Words   |  7 PagesPresence of the Theories of Karl Marx Adam Smith Within the Canadian Economy Written by: Jason Kothary, Zach Shafi, Sam Girma Kevin Sallaku Research: Ryan Salehi, Zack Izzeddin, David Moffett, Cameron Bernardo, Harrison Toms, Taha Mahmood, Anthony Alexiou, Jason Kothary, Zach Shafi, Sam Girma Kevin Sallaku Canada’s economy is one that exhibits a multitude of characteristics that adhere to the capitalist and socialist constructs of a mixed system. In order to clearly define and analyze theRead MoreAdam Smith And Karl Marx1055 Words   |  5 PagesDerek Ding Economy Ms. Walsh Period D Adam Smith and Karl Marx Adam Smith and Karl Marx are famous for their influential and prominent theories about economics. Two difference thoughts indeed are contributions that can change the world. 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ThisRead MoreAdam Smith and Karl Marx Essay2053 Words   |  9 PagesAdam Smith and Karl Marx Modern political economic theory and philosophy can be greatly attributed to the works of two men who seemingly held polar opposite views on the subject. Adam Smith, a Scottish philosopher, published his most well known work An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations in 1776 and is most often associated with the ideas and principles of the political economic system known as Capitalism. At the other end of the spectrum is Karl Marx; the German philosopherRead MoreKarl Marx, Adam Smith, And Andrew Carnegie1350 Words   |  6 Pages2015 Karl Marx, Adam Smith, and Andrew Carnegie The writings of Karl Marx, Adam Smith, and Andrew Carnegie all made significant impacts in society not only in their time, but continuing to this day. Marx shared is opinions on capitalism and his views of the progression of human society in his writing, The Communist Manifesto which he wrote with Friedrich Engles and published in 1848. Marx believed in the idea of a society with no capitalism and the abolition of the bourgeoisie. Adam Smith wrote