La teoria del plusvalore in Marx — Maurizio Ferraris

Summary

This transcript delves into the philosophical insights of Marx and Rousseau on inequality and the exploitation inherent in capitalist societies. The speaker explores Marx's concept of surplus value, highlighting the imbalance where workers produce value beyond their wages, enriching capitalists. This theory is extended into the modern era, where a 'digital surplus value' emerges. In today's economy, platforms gather and profit from user data, generating value without direct compensation to the individuals contributing this data. The speaker argues for a more equitable distribution of this digital surplus, proposing a digital welfare system for the collective benefit of humanity.

Takeaways

• 😀 The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau questioned why humans, born free, find themselves in chains, suggesting the existence of societal inequality and oppression.
• 😀 Rousseau's idea of freedom contrasts with Marx's theory of exploitation, focusing on the economic structures that bind people in modern capitalist societies.
• 😀 Marx's theory of surplus value (Plusvalore) explains the imbalance in capitalism, where workers produce value beyond their wages, benefitting the capitalist class.
• 😀 In the industrial capitalist system, workers sell their labor, while capitalists profit from the value generated by that labor, often under exploitative conditions.
• 😀 Marx and Engels argued that the working class must rebel against oppression, citing the example of workers being trapped in chains created by the capitalist system.
• 😀 The capitalist who owns the factory makes a profit from the labor of workers who receive less pay than the value they produce, leading to exploitation.
• 😀 Marx’s example of the medieval serf highlights the distinction between working for oneself versus working for the capitalist, who benefits from the unpaid labor of workers.
• 😀 The notion of 'free labor' in modern capitalism is questioned, as the workers’ productivity is mostly given away to the capitalists, who profit from this surplus value.
• 😀 While the traditional form of labor exploitation (like factories) has diminished, a new form of surplus value, the 'digital surplus value,' has emerged in the modern era.
• 😀 The digital surplus value arises from personal data, where platforms collect and use users’ data to generate profits, often without the users' awareness or compensation, suggesting the need for a 'digital welfare.'

Q & A

What is the main philosophical concept discussed in the transcript?

The main philosophical concept discussed is Marx's theory of surplus value (plusvalore), which addresses the exploitation of workers in capitalist systems and how workers produce more value than they are compensated for.

How does Rousseau's view on human freedom relate to the rest of the discussion?

Rousseau’s view that 'Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains' sets the stage for the discussion on human inequality and the struggle for freedom. His idea of natural freedom being limited by societal structures is contrasted with Marx's more specific critique of capitalism.

What is the relationship between Rousseau’s and Marx’s views on inequality?

Rousseau discusses the general idea of inequality, suggesting that human freedom is constrained by societal structures, while Marx provides a specific explanation of inequality in capitalist systems, focusing on the exploitation of labor through surplus value.

How does Marx explain the phenomenon of surplus value?

Marx explains surplus value by illustrating how workers produce more value through their labor than what they are compensated for. In a capitalist system, workers' wages only cover their basic subsistence, while the extra value they generate is captured by capitalists.

What example does the speaker use to explain surplus value in the industrial era?

The speaker uses the example of medieval serfs and their work for a feudal lord to explain how workers in industrial capitalism also produce surplus value, even if they are not directly aware of it. In this context, the industrial worker produces value for the capitalist without receiving equivalent compensation.

What is the significance of the 1848 Communist Manifesto mentioned in the transcript?

The Communist Manifesto, written by Marx and Engels, is significant as it calls for workers to rise against their oppressors. The manifesto highlights the concept of workers' chains, which reflects the broader theme of social and economic oppression discussed in the transcript.

How does the modern digital economy relate to Marx's concept of surplus value?

The modern digital economy generates a new form of surplus value, where users unknowingly produce value through their data and interactions on digital platforms. These platforms accumulate and profit from this data, much like capitalists profit from the unpaid labor of industrial workers.

What is digital surplus value, according to the speaker?

Digital surplus value refers to the value generated by users when they interact with digital platforms, producing data that the platforms exploit to create profit. The speaker compares this to the surplus value generated by industrial workers in the past.

Why does the speaker believe digital surplus value should be socialized?

The speaker argues that digital surplus value should be socialized because, much like the surplus value created by industrial workers, the value generated by user data should benefit the wider society, not just the platform owners, to create a more equitable distribution of resources.

How has the industrial capitalist system evolved in the modern age, according to the speaker?

The speaker notes that many exploitative practices of early industrial capitalism, such as the harsh working conditions and factory labor described by Marx, have been mitigated by welfare systems, labor rights, and automation, yet new forms of surplus value, like digital surplus value, have emerged in the digital economy.