Effective Labor Value Theory: A Practical Interpretation

Author: Zhu Fuqiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-04
Features: This book further explores the pathways to developing a harmonious society, particularly focusing on analyzing the tendencies of alienation in the evolution of cooperative systems and the exploitation that arises from it. The introduction briefly explains the logic of alienation and exploitation. Chapter 1 focuses on analyzing the mechanisms of alienation, covering several key questions: the main manifestations and content of alienation, relevant literature on alienation, the causes of alienation, and the process of its emergence. Chapter 2 examines the exploitation derived from free trade. Chapter 3 analyzes the exploitation manifested in the division of value (or rent) created for non-specific entities, as the unequal division of external benefits gave rise to the initial exploitation. Chapter 4 analyzes another type of exploitation—exploitation based on labor-capital exchange, which Marx primarily examined. Chapter 5 highlights the historical evolutionary perspective on the characteristics and supply-demand of labor and capital, with a special emphasis on the trend of heterogeneity in human capital. Chapter 6 analyzes the exploitation process between labor and capital and proposes a general method for measuring the exploitation rate. Chapter 7 concludes with three main aspects: first, clarifying that the deep-rooted cause of alienation lies in division of labor; second, analyzing the developmental trends of alienation; and third, exploring the basic pathways to mitigate alienation.