robots vs luddites 2 of 2

Why would a Luddite break a machine? What is the social significance of software piracy? These questions and more are pondered in this brief discussion of the concept of the "forces and relations of production" in Industrial Revolution and the Information Revolution.

Full text at:
http://kapitalism101.wordpress.com/robots-vs-luddites

music by a great Trio from the West Coast called "Beep". Check them out at myspace.com/beeptrio

Category:

Education

Tags:

• marx
• capital
• luddites
• machines
• robots
• forces
• and
• relations
• of
• production
• labor
• value
• class
• workers
• capitalists

[ahor65]

Hey, I got to your videos through Douglas Lain's podcast Diet Soap.

I't's great to see you touching this subject. I recently got really into the open source movement and have been studying the situationist's work for some time.

It would be great to see you expand on this subject in future videos.

Also, do you recommend anything to read about the subject?

[brendanmcooney]

@ahor65. a lot of my ideas on this topic were formed by a book of essays called "Cutting Edge" edited by Jim Davis.

[Disthron]

Hmmm... You know, there have been now two recent cases, just in my personal experience mind you, where a free content creator has been saved from financial difficulty from there fan base. Spoony had his camera and several other things break down and he had a heep of people donating money and stuff to him.

Is this an indication that people do value his work as entertainment, even if he releases it for free. Though he gets some add revenue as well.

[brendanmcooney]

Obviously such work has a use-value to many people. But is has no exchange value- that is, it does not take the form of a commodity that is bought and sold. Instead it takes the form of free online content that must seek some sort of extra-market, non-commodity means of financing itself. We have yet to figure out how online content can pay for itself except through advertising. But advertising can not be the economic basis of all exchange value! Something must actually be sold!

[marcocapezzone]

The videos are great. Thank you for all your effort. I am starting to read Capital...and I am having difficulties grasping the concepts of value, exchange, and use. Could you clarify this in some future video? Or perhaps recommend some further reading, online or book form, that will clarify my doubts? Once again, thanks.

Marco

[brendanmcooney]

go to david harvey's website and watch his lectures on capital. davidharvey. org

Also, Ernest Mandel has a good intro to Kapital which can be read on the Marxist Internet Archive.

Also, I.I. Rubin's Essays on Marx's Theory of Value, also on the Marxist Internet Archive.

[Barmyleatherhead]

Great Vid! I often think about the socialist nature of new technology, but I rarely see others think about these two things together.  I hear from a bunch of old-school marxists, and a bunch of techno-gadget freaks. It's good to see the connection being made.

[jumpnjza2]

You make awesome videos.

[GalenAus]

@brendanmcooney What about paywalls seen in sites like NYT? Doesn't that kind of make your argument defunct? Please enlighten me:)

[whahas]

When I thought 'Awesome', the video even got better!

Society will have to change to accommodate the sharing of information in stead of placing patents on it.

I guess the Capitalist system can't adapt to these new circumstances.

I like the idea of a resource-based economy, as worked out in The Venus Project.

Besides transcending the concept of 'money' we will have to move away from barter.

That would require a huge culture change, though.

[Babagau]

excellent

[miggyprolet]

great vid cooney... such a big help for begginers and experts alike.... please do keep it up

[yadsik]

Fantastic video - very insightful.

If I remember correctly, you also mentioned similar ideas in your essay on Teleology.

So, one question - Do you think that the concept of 'one big union' or association, still stands based upon the concept of all individuals actively forming association leading to communism - or would such a phenomena be the natural evolution of the global-economy?