Innovation answers Karl Marx’s issue with Capitalism

Through Karl Marx’s Wage-Labour and Capital, the economic concept foresaw the impending growth of competition as the underlying issue within our capitalistic economy. The underlying issue in turn widened the gap of our economy’s wealth distribution, which made it difficult for the labor worker to survive in today’s capitalistic society. Kafka and Weber both acknowledge that our capitalistic society is utterly dependent upon valuing today’s members of society solely by their contributive work ethic. Kafka’s story of The Metamorphosis essentially holds precedent to Weber’s ideals of The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism. They both independently convey the message that our capitalistic economy is dependent upon every labor worker’s work ethic accumulating to sustain our capitalistic economy, but their messages convey different steps contributing towards the same conclusion. Kafka’s The Metamorphosis builds on the story of Gregor, who financially supports his family until he is transformed into a bug. He no longer has the ability to work which degrades his value within his family until he unfortunately deceases. Weber’s ideals of The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism realize the protestant ethic, which highly values the culture of sustaining a high work ethic in terms of developing the spirit of capitalism and sustaining wealth. Ultimately, both Kafka and Weber understand that our capitalistic society is similar to that of an iron cage. Members of our capitalistic society must work to sustain our capitalistic economy, if we abstain our work ethic we are ostracized from society and if we sustain our work ethic our only valid escape is death.

Kafka’s The Metamorphosis begins with Gregor, who complains “what a grueling profession I picked! Traveling day in, day out. It is much more aggravating work than the actual business done at the home office, and then with the strain of constant travel as well: the worry over train connections, the bad and irregular meals, the steady stream of faces who never become anything closer than acquaintances. The Devil take it all!… If I were not holding back because of my parents, I would have quit long ago. I would go up to the boss and tell him my heartfelt opinion. He would be knocked off the desk and from this height addresses the employees, who must step up very close because of the boss’ deafness. Well, I have not entirely given up hope, and as soon as I have saved the money to pay off the debt my parents owe- it might still be another five or six years- I’ll definitely do it. Then I’ll cut myself free.” (Kafka p8) Gregor’s situation plagues the majority of workers in our capitalistic economy, those restricted to work unfavorable working conditions just to survive our accumulating debt. Weber however, believes that “one’s duty consists in pursuing one’s calling, and that the individual should have a commitment to his professional activity, whatever it may consist of, irrespective of whether it appears to the detached observer as nothing but utilization of his labor or even of his property, this idea is a characteristic feature of the ‘social ethic’ of capitalist culture.” (Weber p13) Both Kafka and Weber believe we should sustain our commitment to our profession, but Weber’s idea of ‘social ethic’ reveals that our profession should be sustained indefinitely as it is our life’s duty. Kafka rather perceives Gregor’s commitment as a temporary duty to pay his parent’s debt, then following his success Gregor may re-evaluate his profession. Weber’s idea of ‘social ethic’ adheres more closely to the German’s philosophy of apprenticeship, where they educate students towards a profession they will sustain for their entire life. Kafka on the other hand, adheres more closely to our US education where we chose our profession and may change careers at any time.

Weber’s spirit of capitalism reveals that “the aim of a man’s life is indeed money making, but this is no longer merely the means to the end of satisfying the material needs of life. This reversal of what we might call the natural state of affairs is a definite leitmotiv of capitalism, although it will always be alien to anyone who is untouched by capitalism’s aura.” (Weber p13) The entire principle of capitalism is to work as a means to develop wealth, if you do not have the spirit of capitalism your wealth and value in society diminishes as it does for Gregor. After he is transformed into a bug he begins to reflect on his past success, “Gregor’s only concern at that time had been to do whatever he could to have the family forget as quickly as possible the financial misfortune that had plunged them into total despair. And so he began to work with consuming energy and was promoted, almost overnight, from a minor clerk to a traveling salesman with much greater potential to earn money, and his success was soon transformed, by way of commission, into cash that he could then lay on the table before the astonished and delighted family. Those had been happy times and they had never returned, at least not with the same brilliance, even though Gregor later earned enough to meet the expenses of the entire family and did so. They had simply grown used to it, both the family and Gregor; the money was gratefully accepted and gladly given but it no longer brought any particular warmth.” (Kafka p26) The satisfaction for sustaining his family’s wealth diminished as his spirit of capitalism declined due to diminishing returns. Weber’s spirit of capitalism believes we should commit our life to our profession and to wreak satisfaction off developing our wealth. Although, Kafka’s role for Gregor realized that professions may plateau and that maintaining wealth isn’t sustainable in the presence of debt. With the absence of developing wealth, the satisfaction of maintaining a profession diminishes as wealth and its associated self-value diminishes. Therefore, one may only sustain satisfaction from a profession that isn’t hindered by debt and can continue to grow.

Gregor’s insufficient sedentary lifestyle only further diminished his value in his family to the point where “Gregor spent days and nights almost entirely without sleep… He was filled with rage at their miserable treatment of him, and even though he could not imagine anything that might spark his appetite he still devised plans to raid the pantry and, even if he was not hungry, get the food due him. No longer concerning herself about what Gregor might particularly care for, the sister hastily shoved any old food through the door to Gregor’s room with her foot, both morning and noon before she raced to work, and in the evening cleared it all with one sweep of the broom, indifferent to whether the food had only been tasted or – as was most frequently the case – left completely untouched.” (Kafka p40) As with the case of abstaining from sleep and nutrition, Gregor died and his family continued on with their lives unscathed. Kafka understood the cold hard truth of life, in which death is the only escape from capitalism. Weber however observed that Asceticism helped build the “mighty cosmos of the modern economic order. Today this mighty cosmos determines, with overwhelming coercion, the style of life not only of those directly involved in business but of every individual who is born into this mechanism, and may well continue to do so until the day that the last ton of fossil fuel has been consumed.” (Weber p121) Weber’s theory of the iron cage limits our freedom to break free from the norm of our capitalist economy to where we may advance the ranks to control this machine. Instead we are doomed to our fate, working unsatisfactory conditions and wages in order to sustain our measly depressing livelihood. Kafka understood our fate in this unsympathetic economy where Gregor’s role in his family reduced from breadwinner to neglected and then eventually deceased. We are essentially valued by our work ethic and our ability to develop wealth for our family, but not for how much we may have contributed in the past. Sadly we must conform to society’s demand for our work ethic until we decease or become neglected by society.

According to Karl Marx, competition is the underlying issue of our capitalistic economy which has created the wealth distribution gap that has made it difficult for the worker to survive. Weber has determined that it is our calling to be trapped by the iron cage to work indefinitely for the economic machine or suffer the fate that Kafka had imagined for Gregor. The situation we workers face in this capitalistic economy is grim. Either we work and become dissatisfied, quit working and dissatisfy society, or decease which is dissatisfying. There is but one option left which is a hypothetical ending to Kafka’s The Metamorphosis that would have made Gregor’s conclusion much more satisfying, and that would have been if Gregor grew wings and flew towards the sun. Workers must succumb to their role in the capitalistic economy, but there is one trait our US economy thrives upon and that is entrepreneurship. Steve Jobs said it best, “When you grow up you tend to get told that the world is the way it is and your life is to just live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much, try to have a nice family life, have fun, and save a little money. But that’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact. Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. You can change it, you can influence it and you can build other things that other people can use. The minute that you understand that you can poke life and that something will pop out the other side, you can change it. That’s the most important thing, to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just going to live in it.” (Steve Jobs) Of course it would be difficult for Gregor to amass great success as a bug, but it is not out of the realm of possibility for a worker to escape the iron cage and become vastly successful. As workers, we shouldn’t just accept our fate and roll on the ground to die like Gregor. We should rather strive to succeed beyond our dissatisfying fate, because we only live once.

Works Cited

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis and Other Stories. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.

Steve Jobs and the Secrets of Life (1994). By EverySteveJobsVideo. Steve Jobs on Youtube. Youtube, n.d. Web. 10 May 2014. .

Weber, Max. The Protestant Ethic and “Spirit” of Capitalism and Other Writings. N.p.: Penguin Classics, 2002. Print.

Image:http://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/karl-marx-231×300.jpg