Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2017

Marx & Proudhon in the Digital Age

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separate from reality, but also allowing machinery to perform labour independent of a human.

A large element of Marx’s theory of labour is that it imbues human labour with a uniqueness which

means it cannot be entirely replaced by machinery. The capacity of digital goods to be reproduced

with negligible input capital means that the uniqueness of human labour no longer holds in a

computerised era. This capacity for machines to do labour previously reserved for humans is a

core of what makes the digital revolution so different to the industrial revolution. The result of

this is that computerisation can in fact operate according to Proudhon’s theory of ‘divisionless’

labour. Computerised manufacturing processes clearly exist in a separate economic category to

human labour, whereas mechanised manufacturing did not.

4 - Case Studies on the Realities of Computerisation

Several of the societal changes anticipated by Proudhon have already occurred as a result of

computerisation. These changes can effectively point to the way in which a post-digital society

will be shaped by the role of computers. The new economic realities explored in this section will

point towards a post digital society effectively mirroring Proudhon’s expectation of the results of

machinery becoming widespread in society. From this, I will be able to build out the idea that

the computer is the ultimate realisation of Proudhon’s understanding of the potential of

machinery. These case studies serve as examples of how the digital age is changing the traditional

labour-machine value exchanges.

Case Study 1 - Wikimedia

Wikimedia is an example of a public resource, staffed by volunteers and facilitated by technology.

The Wikimedia foundation “is a nonprofit charitable organisation dedicated to encouraging the

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