Reading Marx’s Capital, Volume 1, Class 10

Masks and Mirrors

Capitalists and labour are stuck in a cycle of production: production of growth for the capitalist and production of surplus value for the labourer.

As often happens when people are stuck in something they don’t like, and a mirror is held up to it they seek to mask the nature of that reality.

So growth is unequivocally good because it’s a structural necessity that the system has to grow. Productivity is good, so a productive person is good.

For all his faults, Marx is unremitting in questioning underlying assumptions. In a world of fake news, this is more important than ever.