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Are We Free at Work? Marx on Capitalism Today | Brian Leiter

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Manage episode 503601537 series 2800778
Content provided by Brain in a Vat. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Brain in a Vat or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

In this episode of Brain in a Vat, we’re joined by Brian Leiter, co-author (with Jamie Edwards) of a new book on Marx. We explore whether workers in contemporary capitalism are truly free—or trapped in a form of “wage slavery.” Leiter uses thought experiments to probe the limits of workplace freedom. He also examines Marx’s labor theory of value—its strengths and flaws—and shows how modern capitalism both confirms and diverges from Marx’s predictions.

The conversation then turns to labor, technological change, human nature, and artificial intelligence—culminating in a pressing question: what futures of work await us under capitalism?

Read "Marx (The Routledge Philosophers)" by Brian Leiter and Jaime Edwards here: https://www.amazon.com/Marx-Routledge-Philosophers-Brian-Leiter/dp/1138938505

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction and Guest Welcome

[00:18] Thought Experiment: Are You a Wage Slave?

[02:10] Free Labor vs. Unfree Labor

[05:11] Historical Context and Modern Implications

[16:07] Capitalism's Role in Technological Progress

[20:22] Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work

[32:05] The Essential Nature of Human Beings

[38:59] Critiques of Marx's Naivety

[46:25] Technological Innovation and Labor

[51:33] Marx's Labor Theory of Value

[58:18] Fetishism of Commodities

[01:00:59] Future of Capitalism and Human Nature

[01:10:14] Concluding Thoughts on Marx and Capitalism

  continue reading

271 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 503601537 series 2800778
Content provided by Brain in a Vat. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Brain in a Vat or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

In this episode of Brain in a Vat, we’re joined by Brian Leiter, co-author (with Jamie Edwards) of a new book on Marx. We explore whether workers in contemporary capitalism are truly free—or trapped in a form of “wage slavery.” Leiter uses thought experiments to probe the limits of workplace freedom. He also examines Marx’s labor theory of value—its strengths and flaws—and shows how modern capitalism both confirms and diverges from Marx’s predictions.

The conversation then turns to labor, technological change, human nature, and artificial intelligence—culminating in a pressing question: what futures of work await us under capitalism?

Read "Marx (The Routledge Philosophers)" by Brian Leiter and Jaime Edwards here: https://www.amazon.com/Marx-Routledge-Philosophers-Brian-Leiter/dp/1138938505

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction and Guest Welcome

[00:18] Thought Experiment: Are You a Wage Slave?

[02:10] Free Labor vs. Unfree Labor

[05:11] Historical Context and Modern Implications

[16:07] Capitalism's Role in Technological Progress

[20:22] Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work

[32:05] The Essential Nature of Human Beings

[38:59] Critiques of Marx's Naivety

[46:25] Technological Innovation and Labor

[51:33] Marx's Labor Theory of Value

[58:18] Fetishism of Commodities

[01:00:59] Future of Capitalism and Human Nature

[01:10:14] Concluding Thoughts on Marx and Capitalism

  continue reading

271 episodes

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