Value, Price, and Profit
First published in 1865, ‘Value, Price, and Profit’ was initially given as a speech by Karl Marx, a German philosopher, critic of political economy, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, and socialist revolutionary. He is one of the most influential social theorists and political philosophers of the 19th century. Marx sought to reveal the economic patterns underpinning the capitalist mode of production, in contrast to classical political economists such as Adam Smith, Jean-Baptiste Say, David Ricardo, and John Stuart Mill. This speech expands on his ideas regarding the relationship between wages and profit. Marx argues that workers are responsible for forming the value that leads to profit and they are entitled to share in it through increased wages. Marx’s theories remain widely studied for their relevance and insight into the problems and inequalities that continue to exist in modern economic systems. "But capital not only lives upon labor. Like a master, at once distinguished and barbarous, it drags with it into its grave the corpses of its slaves, whole hecatombs of workers, who perish in the crises." — Karl Marx (Value, Price and Profit)
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About the Author
Described as one of the most influential figures in human history, Karl Marx was a German philosopher and economist who wrote extensively on the benefits of socialism and the flaws of free-market capitalism. His most notable works, Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto (the latter of which was co-authored by his collaborator Friedrich Engels), have since become two of history s most important political and economic works. Marxismthe term that has come to define the philosophical school of thought encompassing Marx s ideas about society, politics and economicswas the foundation for the socialist movements of the twentieth century, including Leninism, Stalinism, Trotskyism, and Maoism. Despite the negative reputation associated with some of these movements and with Communism in general, Marx s view of a classless socialist society was a utopian one which did not include the possibility of dictatorship. Greatly influenced by the philosopher G. W. F. Hegel, Marx wrote in radical newspapers from his young adulthood, and can also be credited with founding the philosophy of dialectical materialism. Marx died in London in 1883 at the age of 64.