George W.F Hegel writes in Phenomenology of Spirit that the self-consciousness “exists only being acknowledged,” and that a human individual can only recognize itself as having self-consciousness through meeting another human individual and realizing their shared traits and otherness. This initial process leads to conflict between the two entities, as they must fight over the other being the essential being while the other is an object. This conflict is the struggle, and at the end of the struggle one being becomes the master and the other the slave. This process is built on the concept of fear, specifically fear of death and becoming a thing as opposed to a self-conscious being. This paper will analyze that concept of fear, and through
Man constantly seeks to produce and his need for money becomes greater after all it is therefore the true need produced by a capitalist society; it is also the ultimate need. It is therefore a social force enforced on man to have a need for money(1978:93). The problem arises that man is so caught up in the need to produce and end up becoming alienated to his lifestyle, his hygiene as an example, Marx speaks of man not only losing his human needs but his animal needs as well(1978:94). The active role of alienation forces workers and their needs to be manipulated, their lives are thus driven by what the political economy seeks which will be discussed later. Thus the less you express yourself and think of yourself the more alienated you become, further, there is a lack of interest in self entertainment, there is time and money to spend on something other than the means to survive; workers become disconnected from the world(1978:95-96).
Hegel wanted to create a philosophy which would allow the whole universe to be perceived and interpreted through the phenomenon of self-consciousness, Hegel held that the Absolute Spirit, i.e. the consciousness that is aware of itself, can be expressed through art, religion, and philosophy with a greater or lesser degree of perfection. Furthermore, each of these categories of the Absolute have their subordinated a priori forms that are displayed in the dialectical formation of the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Within the philosophy of the absolute spirit tragedy represents the pinnacle of artistic self-consciousness because the totality of reality manifests itself most adequately in
This understanding is said to be first disclosed to human beings through their practical encounters with things and other people, as well as through language. Therefore, for Heidegger being is shown to be intimately linked with temporality; the relationship between them is investigated by means of an analysis of human existence. He has raised explicitly the question concerning the “sense of being,” and believes that the crisis of Western civilization has traces in that everyone has “forgetfulness of being.” For Heidegger being is surrounded on all sides by nothingness, like a ball suspended in a void. So every being is said to be surrounded by little “pockets” of nothingness; in other words, nothingness is within being, for example, distance.
There is a huge indication that work is good and Keller argues that work shouldn 't be seen as a restriction to the lives we want to live. Typically, work is considered restricting and prevents people from freedom. Since God 's design is work, this means that work can actually be freeing. When we live and act out God 's perfect will, we find freedom. We have to work for a meaningful life, but work is not the
The idea behind this modern economic system, capitalism, is that it is not an economic activity’s usefulness- it’s the fulfillment of the actual need of an individual-that is vital, but it’s only its commodification
In our everyday life, we come across people or institutions that try to exercise power over us, making us to what they want. Lukes (1974) explains that compliance can be secured by the use of force or by people choosing to surrender to others. When people choose to accept the will of others as legitimate or right, we can describe the relationship as one of authority (Lukes, 1974).
The bourgeoisie class or capitalists are the owners of capital. They purchase and abuse labour resources using their high position and power to their advantage and to the disadvantage of the poor labored class and hence are able to increase their wealth and power. Being wealthy is, in itself, not sufficient to make one a capitalist (e.g. managers in the state sector or landlords). What is necessary is the active role of using this wealth to make it self-expansive through employment and exploitation of labour. 2.
In chapters one and two of Timothy Keller 's book "Every Good Endeavor” the main theme is work. While some people think work is demeaning and boring, they miss the fact that God has put us on this earth simply to work. Keller shows this through his recalling of Genesis in that as soon as Adam is placed on this earth he is given the task of working the garden. Culture has pushed people to believe that "work is a necessary evil.” Society also leads us to believe there are two classes of workers, the ones that fit in the "knowledge classes” which are where the wealthy reside and the "service sector” in which the middle to poor classes reside.
During the reformation across Europe, there was many forward thinkers who were able to make sense of the ‘pressing problems’ of their day and age. One philosopher in particular, John Locke, was able to press on, and make sense of the problems that he faced in England during his time. However, the philosophers Locke, More, and Hobbes, contributed to society through the various arguments that they brought about. The arguments placed by Locke, Hobbes, and More in society acted as a building block for people in society to either follow, or disregard.
Only in this context does the reification produced a commodity relations assume decisive importance both for the objective evolution of society and for the stance adopted by men towards it…”(Lukacs 25) This quote essentially helps open reader’s understand to the concept of commodity. Furthermore it enhances the authors and the books overall ethos as it offers credibility to the argument and further persuades the reader by providing a strong bases for the
He references different authors as well as professionals and their pieces or work on the world of labor to back up his opinions and substantiate them. Furthermore, he gives numerous examples and scenarios, much like the first paragraph of the entire piece. Here he goes into detail regarding the day in the life of a worker and states how they are in their own little bubbles occupied by their respective problems. He then gets into the example about a housewife and a tea kettle, explaining how their is plenty of background to the kettle that we as consumers do not even realize and such background is beyond the our own comprehension. He follows up the passage with a brief explanation; “To contemplate one’s kettle and suddenly realize, first, that one is the beneficiary of an unimaginably vast and complex social whole; and second that this means benefitting from the daily labor of kettle- and electricity-producing workers, much of it unpleasant and under-remunerated– neither of these realizations is entirely outside the domain of everyday experience.
Hannah Arendt born in Germany, worked as a U.S. political writer and philosopher. Her works were mostly related to political philosophy. In one of her work, “The Human Condition” Arendt suggests a three-way partition between the human activities as labor, work, and action. The activities have been arranged in hierarchal importance. Labor corresponds to that activity which are undertaken for fulfillment of biological necessities of human existence. These are the practices which are essential requirements of our lives.
In accordance to the poems regarding this notion, labor is portrayed in a negative manner where success cannot be won. For example, in “We Did Not Fear the Father,” by Charles Fort, the severity of toil is explored. In “What Work
First, the capitalist tells the laborers that being a capitalist was a calling from God, which is why the capitalist must work so hard. Next, being a worker was also a calling, which means the workers must “accept [their calling] as a divine ordinance, to which [they] must adapt [themselves],” (Weber, 85). The Protestant laborer knows hard work is the best way to magnify one’s calling and thus begins to do so. Finally, the worker is reminded that he is forever trapped in his calling by God, because “the individual should remain… in the station and calling in which God had placed him,” (Weber, 85). Together, these three problems create the idea that ‘hard work pleases God’ while ignoring the fact that ‘hard work increases profits for the capitalist.’