The Evolution of the Relationship between Technology,Labor,and Material Production and Its Theoretical Implications
Labor and material production are core categories in historical materialism and the critical theory of political economy.Under different social and technological conditions,labor methods undergo continuous changes,leading to varying relationships between labor and the process of material production.In stages corresponding to hand-body coordination,skills,and tools,the process of material production primarily manifests as the objectification of labor,with the two overlapping in form;general intellect is also integrated with labor.As traditional craftsmanship transitions to modern technology and scientific knowledge and machine systems become part of the production process,labor becomes detached not only from general intellect but also from the process of material production,gradually becoming a secondary component of the production process.In the stage of automated production,the production process becomes labor-less,giving rise to the"paradox"of labor value theory and automated production.However,labor-less production in automated factories only implies a decrease in direct labor,and it does not negate the mechanism of undifferentiated abstract labor created by humanity.Automated factories continue to derive their average profits from the surplus value created by social labor in a manner consistent with the general rate of profit.Thus,automated factories not only fail to disprove labor value theory but also rely on it as a premise.Only by understanding the separation of labor and the process of material production resulting from large-scale mechanized production can we truly grasp the social foundation and true essence of Marx's theory of labor emancipation.
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维普
