“As capitalist, he is only capital personified. His soul is the soul of capital. But capital has one single life impulse, the tendency to create value and surplus-value, to make its constant factor, the means of production, absorb the greatest possible amount of surplus-labour. Capital is dead labour, that, vampire-like, only lives by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks. The time during which the labourer works, is the time during which the capitalist consumes the labour-power he has purchased of him. If the labourer consumes his disposable time for himself, he robs the capitalist.”
-Marx, Capital Vol. 1, Ch. 10, Section 1, ‘ The Limits of the Working Day’.
For Canterbury Socialist Society’s March event we are returning to some of Marx’ foundational texts regarding the political economy and its critique.
A comrade and Wellington-based supporter of the CSS will be presenting on Marx’ exposition of ‘The Working Day’. The lecture will examine the structure of the working day, and the various means by which employers increase the production of surplus value – extension of hours, displacement of labour by technology, and intensification of work.
Tom, acting CSS Chair will help introduce the talk and chair any follow up discussion.
As always our events at Space Academy remain free and all ages friendly.
The section of Capital is available to read here, though reading beforehand will not be necessary for finding the lecture useful and engaging: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch10.htm