Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2017

Abstract

This essay philosophically explores the relationship between machinery and the labour theory of

value in the emerging digital era. In doing so, I am addressing the question of the extent to which

Marx’s theory of labour-value exchange will be superseded by Proudhon’s philosophy, given the

dynamics of the digital age. Specifically, this inquiry evaluates Pierre-Joseph Proudhon’s and Karl

Marx’s contrasting philosophies. Additionally, a number of contemporary exemplars are analysed to

better understand the changing dynamics of machinery and labour-value relationships. My thesis is

that while Proudhon’s ideas were superseded by Marx in the industrial era, they seem to be better

applied to understand the political and social effects of digitisation.

Themethodology for research and evaluation is based on two philosophical treatises, Proudhon’s The

Philosophy of Poverty (1847) and Marx’s The Poverty of Philosophy (1847). In addition to these

philosophical works, this essay also draws upon several case studies showing the effects of digitisation

on modern society. These case studies include the Wikimedia Foundation, the development of

OpenSSL, and the societal dislocation observed in China and Japan due to digitisation and changing

labour-value relations. The scope of this essay does not include critiquing Marx’s labour theories in

Das Kapital (1867), and the arguments presented against it. Although this would be an important

avenue of further inquiry, I have instead decided to focus on the seminal works of Proudhon and

Marx.

I consider that this study is important because, although Marx provided significant credibility for

understanding labour relationships in the industrial age, his theories break down when the dynamics

of the digital era are evident. Instead, Proudhon’s theories are more applicable. Therefore, Marxism

could well be replaced by ‘Proudhonism’ into the 21st century and beyond.

(287 words)

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