Alienation in a four factor world

Abstract

This paper aims to reconstruct the concept of alienation as a live topic for active social theorizing. Joining Marxian and Simmelian ideas, it provides a multi‐dimensional, formal, and synthetic theory of alienation. The paper develops a set of theoretical tools for articulating formal elements of action that make alienation possible, without giving conceptual priority to alienation in the sphere of production, or within that sphere to the alienation of labor. These tools make it possible to derive classical notions of alienation as specific, contingent combinations of multiple elements, theorizing them as concrete socio‐historical configurations of a broader universe of possibilities. They also organize systematic reflection on various forms and relations of alienation; not only those between for instance labor and capital, but also among all four factors of production: land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship. The paper accordingly develops an original, multi‐dimensional theorization of alienation for a complex, pluralistic world.

Marx and Digital Machines: Alienation, Technology, Capitalism

“…There are several reasons for this. Marx's view of human nature is considered problematic as exampled by the recent work of Jaeggi (2014) and Silver (2019). In addition, Sparling's (2012) discussion of the differences between Simone Weil's and Marx's conception of the dignity of labour and their differing concepts of free and unalienated labour as well as their divergent views on the role of technology, raises further questions.…”

Alienation on Social Media

“…Although this paper does not exactly aim to discuss the concept of alienation, it is undeniable that it has been profusely mobilised over the last century in the disciplinary fields of Philosophy and Social Science (Aron, 1994;Silver, 2018;Harvey, 2018), although, more recently, it has been less used and has lost some visibility (Silver, 2018;Tairako, 2018).…”

“…In this perspective, which values the activity of production in the formation and reproduction of alienation, and stressing the existence of a profusion of analyses of Karl Marx's work (Aron, 1994;Silver, 2018;Tairako, 2018;Harvey, 2018;Adibifar, 2016), Tairako (2018) argues that the theory of alienation entails a set of transformations, of which the author highlights:…”

“…However, in order to increase its heuristic ability to interpret the current social reality, it seems pertinent to us the stance which advocates that alienation has to be a broader multidimensional concept than the perspective provided by Marx, which focuses on alienation in the relationship between capital and labour (Tairako, 2018;Silver, 2018;Raekstad, 2018). The reflection carried out in this paper seeks to discuss the updating of a proposal on alienation --alienation, grounded in an acknowledgment of contingency and pluralism: there is no single ultimate source of alienation, and alienation may emerge through multiple combinations of diverse factors‖ (Silver, 2018, p. 85).…”

“…The reflection carried out in this paper seeks to discuss the updating of a proposal on alienation --alienation, grounded in an acknowledgment of contingency and pluralism: there is no single ultimate source of alienation, and alienation may emerge through multiple combinations of diverse factors‖ (Silver, 2018, p. 85). Furthermore, it also seeks to establish an interconnection between the macro-, meso-and micro-social levels (Silver, 2018;Harvey, 2018;Serpa & Ferreira, 2019). Akoun (1990, p. 15) maintains that the concept of -Alienation‖ may have the more general meaning of -transformation of man's specific activity into a power that would be strange to him and which dominates him‖.…”