SOME INTERPRETATION ABOUT BEFORE THE LAW

       Before The Law is one of the short parables of Franz Kafka and it narrates the story of a villager who tries to understand the law and reach it but is prevented by a gatekeeper. Although it can be counted as a very short story, the parable can be evaluated with many different interpretations. Some of those can be mentioned to costruct a better understanding of the parable.
       First of all, it can be claimed that the parable focuses on how people in a society want to understand the laws of it and some of them decide to try to change them. The villager goes to the door to reach the law and understand it but he is prevented by the gatekeeper. It can exemplified from an ordinary society that everyone judges the laws existing in that society and some of them with sufficient courage ty to change those. From this point of view, it can be remarked that Kafka focuses on people's will of understanding and evaluating the laws. However; as the gatekeeper becomes an obstacle and the villager never passes the door, it can be deduced that the ones who try changing the laws of the society will be unsuccessful at least most of them and authority remains dominant on people. Plus, it can be highlighted thah authority seems trustworth to people as the villager believes the gatekeeper as time will come to pass the door. The villager does not challenge the gatekeeper anymore and authorty wins. This also emerges in a real society as most of the people in it obey the rules and laws without any resistance.
       Secondly, the notions of failure and bribery can be discussed. It can be interpreted that any effort for a target will not be any waste because the effort is the only possibility to reach it. In the parable, it can be seen that the villager tries passing the door by challenging the gatekeeper at first and then try passing it by giving his items to the gatekeeper. These are all examples of effort to reach a target which is arriving the law. The villager can not pass the door but the parable tells that people who wants to change the laws should give all their effort without any opinion of failure. Failure can emerge in all areas of life but always all effort should be supplied to reach any target. Bribery is another concept that should be focused on. Although it has negative connotations, the parable can be interpreted as bribery can be a choice to reach an aim. The villager gives his items to the gatekeeper to persuade him to open the door for the passage of him and this is an example of bribery in the parable. Then this indicates that some people in a society will apply the method of bribery to get rid of rules for themselves to reach their targets with less effort and loss of time. Even though it is illegal, it is a very common thing in a simple society.
       Finally, some points in the parable can be focused on. The villager asks finally why any other people did not come to pass the door and the gatekeeper answers him that the gate was intended for him. This shows that very small number of people have the encourage to reject the laws in a society and becuase the villager can not pass the door individually, it can be highlighted that individual rejections will not be efficient in a society to change the rules applied in it. More collective resistances should be provided to change something. In addition, the man is a villager and the law is particular to him. This shows that in a society everyone has different lives and they are dominated by different laws related to their life aims. The man's villager being also indicates that laws are generally dominant on people with lower status in a society. Plus, the gatekeeper emphasizes that many separate doors and gatekeepers exst after him and the gatekeepers become stronger. This elaborates on the law hierarchy in a society. Some laws are more important and strict than some others and their keepers and applicators are stronger than the others.
       These are the general interpretations for the parable Before The Law. Although it can be evaluated from diffferent point of views, it focuses on how laws wanted to be comprehended by people and changed by some of them. However; the parable also shows that authority will remain dominant on people but effort should be given everytime to change something or to create some effect.        

Third Essay

Hello everyone,

I believe that this is going to be our last blog entry. First of all I would like to say that I am thankful to everybody who has contributed to this blog and helped me by their comments.

My last essay is going to be one of the parables of Kafka: On Parables.

The reason I have chosen this one is highly likely because of its catchy name; anyhow in this short essay written by Franz Kafka, he begins his essay with the strict statement where Kafka says that "the wise are always merely parables and of no use in daily life". So far these words are not open the any interpretation since Kafka gives his opinion where he his speaking in a certain language not leaving any chance of interpretation (commentary) to the reader. In his parable, Kafka points out that when a "sage says: 'Go, over', he does not mean that we should cross" some actual place, instead the sage means some place "that he cannot designate" either. Thus, Kafka claims that the parables told by the wise man are containing ambiguity since they are not aware of the conclusion. Therefore these parables would help us "in the very least".

In the second part of the parable, the impression of the parables on the audience of this essay is somewhat changed. Franz Kafka has played a mind game on the readers. In this part the claim of the another man is perfectly valid based on the comments made on parables in the first paragraph. Words like "parables" in parables, in fact may be parables themselves. Somewhat like a recursive call using the operand "parables". The second man approves the idea of the first man and he has got the idea of what is a parable. However at the end of the story the first man says "No, in reality" therefore again gives the impression to the audience that the parables are not in use of daily life.

The another man's interpretation about the parables is that he is not really understanding what the second man is saying. Since the sages do not want us to follow the parables, (Go, over - not clear) the second man gets the idea. The second man's interpretation on the parables is that they are "words of wise" and that they have "no use in daily life".

"On Parables" is one of in depth works of Franz Kafka. His work covers many themes about truth and knowledge. It is an essay that forces the reader to think more than once in order to understand what Kafka is saying.

Invisible Hand of Capitalism

I’ve found a comic about invisible hand on internet.
Since it is in Turkish here is the translation of bubbles respectively:
- : boss
+ : employee

Invisible Hand of Capitalism
- Did we charge for money?!
+ We do sir ?!.
- Don’t !..
+ But sir ...
- If I’m saying don’t charge, I’m not meaning do not charge !.. Show free, add to check...
- See the big picture, big picture !

It’s not a great translation but I think it is enough to understand the idea.

Third and Last Short Essay Assignment

As you know, I had planned to have you write four short essays as half of your course project grade (2.5 X 4=10). However, we have run out of time and energy for such ambitions. So I will ask you to make one more post. Then from the three postings you have made, I will take the highest grade and give it to you as the fourth grade.
This means that if you are satisfied with the grade that you received on at least one of the first three posts, then you don't need to do anything. However, if you wish a higher grade, you can do one of the following:
1. Revise an existing post to get a higher grade (easiest option)
2. Write a new post in the hopes of getting a higher grade. This is perhaps a good option if you didn't write one of the three earlier posts. PLEASE NOTE YOU CAN ONLY WRITE ONE NEW POST TO REPLACE ONE YOU DIDN'T WRITE. If you missed more than one of the first three posts, then it's too late to make them up.

OK...

So, for your final post, I'd like you to write about one of the following topics:

KAFKA TOPIC
1. Choose a Kafka parable and write a response that explores the different ways that it can be interpreted. As the materials I provided you with indicate, these parables are notoriously difficult to explain. One reason for this is that Kafka viewed the modern world as absurd and nonsensical, and perhaps even meaningless. Another reason is that he was very interested in how people living in such an absurd world still manage to find meaning, create art and live their lives...

So, your short essay should show how the parable you have chosen can be read in several different ways. Ideally, you should also be able to argue that these different ways of reading are not compatible, since they require adopting a certain point of view, which excludes other readings. Of course we can adopt many different points of view and create many different interpretations, but the parable will never have one single unified meaning.

You might wish to think about our reading of "Give it up!" as an example, but you should write about a different parable, since we talked so much about that one in class.

OR

HISTORY/MEMORY TOPIC
If you like, you can write about the film we viewed in class, La Jetée, and/or the associated readings by Kierkegaard and Benjamin.
Here you will have to focus on one aspect of the relationship between the study of history and memory. We have of course over the course of the semester been studying the past, and the purpose of this study is to help us understand some of the ideas and ways of thinking, feeling, and perceiving the world that define our modern present.
But La Jetée and the readings I gave you about it suggest that understanding the past and remembering are not such simple or easy tasks. Not only may our personal memories be inaccessible, confused, and uncertain, marked by trauma, but the collective memory that is history may also seem to us devoid of any real order or meaning. Recall Macbeth's speech after the death of Lady Macbeth, where he looks upon his life and life in general as "a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury / signifying nothing." (5.5.26-28).
Considering the history of Western Civilization from the point of view of the 20th and 21st centuries, where humanity has reached new heights of technological achievement, but also new heights of murderous barbarism, with the exploitation and mass murder of huge numbers of people, evaluate what sense we can make of history. Are there some lessons that we can find to guide us in the materials that we have read?

Do you think that it is truly impossible to stop the mounting catastrophe of destruction that Benjamin's angel of history sees growing every day? What would it take to do so? If you were able to travel in time, do you think you could make a difference in either the past or future of humanity? Would this be without danger?
Please give specific examples from one or more of the works we have read to support your argument.

OR

CREATIVE TOPIC: WRITE YOUR OWN PARABLE

Finally, if you are feeling inventive, you might wish to write your own parable. It can be about anything, but try to follow either Kafka's or Benjamin's example so that your parable suggests something about either human history or some absurdities in the way we live our lives today.

Remember, one of the keys to the success of Kafka's parables is to make the story very simple and not to give us any real insight into the motivations and inner worlds of the characters. If your parable is successful, then it should be somewhat puzzling and ambiguous, and capable of being interpreted in multiple ways.

This assignment is due Tuesday, March 3 at 19:00. Remember, as always, you must also make a constructive comment on another of your group member's essays. This comment is due on Wednesday by the 12:00 (noon).

Weekly Post: from Smith to Marx ( late post)

 The movie of "Modern Times " is very important to understand the Marx's  theory of Alienation. 

In this movie, the relationship between Modern Times and Alienation theory is explained detailed way.  He explains which part of movie illustrates alienation from oneself and how to turn to a machine. 

Third Weekly Assignment Late Submission

Did you know that Machiavelli's ideas about life and how to be a proper prince influenced people in such a way that there is a psychological condition called Machiavellianism? This condition is explained as the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct by the Oxford English Dictionary and we know that this line of thinking as explained by Machiavelli is knowing how and when to be bad in order to properly rule your state.  But modern psychology explains this condition as having a duplicitious interpersonal style, a cynical disregard for morality and a focus on self interest and personal gain. This condition is considered so dangerous that it is considered one of the dark triad personalities along with psychopathy and narcissism.  I think this is very interesting. I think this shows that either Machiavelli understood human nature better than we did or his work became so popular and influential that it affected the way of thinking of people for generations since it became a full blown personality disorder.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_triad

Marx was right!

I also found an interesting article that focuses on whether Karl Marx's ideas are right. I strongly recommend to check it out because it includes quite beneficial points for proving his ideas' accuracy in present. It includes the revolution of capitalism, so that Marx is expecially explored in terms of his ideas about capitalism in this article.

Adam Smith vs. Karl Marx

In this video, Adam Smith and Karl Marx are compared with each other, so that I thought it would be very beneficial for us during examining their ideas. Although it is quite interesting and fun to watch, I am disagree with the conclusion of the video. She claims that there is no gap between rich and poor because the government makes reforms to prevent this. Although I can admit that there have been revolutions overthrowing the old class system, it is also clear that the gap between the wealthy at the expense of the middle class and the poor has been growing for years. I mean, for example, we do not live in Victorian era when there was a huge gap between the rich and poor. However, even the gap between the middle class and working class is quite obvious in present. 

What do you think? Is she right or wrong?

Pursuit of Profit

Hello,
In this video, we get to look at corporations closer and see how in different aspects they are harming, well everyone and everything. With the era of chemicals in 1940s all sorts of chemicals were created without really knowing what their effects were. But it was cheap and the cost of dealing with the consequences was less than choosing to be respectful to human rights, animal rights and Earth as corporations simply pay some amount of money to free themselves from trouble, that is of course if they get caught.
There is an example mentioned in the video which I find very interesting. (19:30) This example accurately expresses how fast we are moving to the end and how we are so unaware of it. Our civilization is doomed to crash because our civilization is not based on dynamics that support the continuation of life, for anyone. Although it does support the continuation of profit and at the end this is simply a business decision we make.
     

Philosophy of Descartes

Descartes is generally considered the father of modern philosophy. He was the first major figure in the philosophical movement known as rationalism, a method of understanding the world based on the use of reason as the means to attain knowledge. Also, rationalism was one of the main currents of Enlightenment so it has got lots of connection what we have learned in this semester. If you want to learn more about Descartes and his philosophy in enjoyable way, you should check my blog post out!!
Philosophy of Descartes

Five Interesting Facts About Karl Marx that you may not know

I have found 5 interesting facts about Marx that I haven't heard yet. 

http://hubpages.com/education/Five-Interesting-Facts-About-Karl-Marx-That-You-Probably-Didnt-Know

The Virgin of the Rocks (sometimes the Madonna of the Rocks) is the name used for two paintings by DA VİNCİ, of the same subject, and of a composition which is identical except for several significant details. The version generally considered the prime version, that is the earlier of the two, hangs in the LOUVRE in Paris and the other in the National Gallery, London. The paintings are both nearly 2 metres  high and paintings are painted in oils. Both were painted on wooden pane.Both paintings show the Madonna and Child Jesus.

What it takes to build an iPhone

Did you ever wonder how an iPhone is made? Look at the back of your phone. It says "Designed by Apple in California Assembled in China".

There is a giga-factory called Foxconn which produces most of the electronics we see around us, including iPhones. This factory is a perfect image of what Marx mentions in his text. Electronics companies oppress the people in order to meet with the demands of the market. People working there get $1 per day and work for more than 12 hours a day to keep up with the high demand of electronics. Also, they get alienated from their work because they don't know how these electronics work. They only follow instructions.

Moreover, this factory is a sad but perfect example of Smith's idea of a society working as a factory. Everyone has only one job, they do it all the time. This way they can produce thousands of iPhones every day.

There is a video about Foxconn, it should tell you more about what the working conditions are like:

Documentary: The Corporation

I recommend watching this documentary, The Corporation. It brings one's attention to a lot many of things going on in the world's economies of today.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa3wyaEe9vE

Full Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y888wVY5hzw

Creation of Adam

Creation of Adam is created by Michelangelo.  This work can be divided by a diagonal line. First part is the left part which describe garden of eden. Adam’s powerless body  wait in order to energise at Garden of Eden. Second part describe moving of God and Angels. The middle of picture attract attention. This is because Adam’s and God’ s fingers seem as uniting.  This is the area where the sky and earth unit. Michelangelo’s style is strong in this picture because we feel that Adam will energise. Lastly, some people claim that Eve is here in the picture and is under God’S left arm. This is because she has more elegant lines depend on other angels and people think that she is Eve.

Hegel and Karl Marx

    While reading the ideas of Marx, I saw that there is a close relationship between Karl Marx and Hegel. Hegel has a great influence on Marx and so it is important to understand the hegelian dialectic. Even if Marx, later on, had a opposite dialectic than Hegel's. We could see Marx's ideas by examining the Hegel's dialectic. You can look at video this link and this blog post.

Exploitation and Profit as Theft

According to reports of Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights which were reported by Charles Kernaghan:

• The shirt that is made by a women is sold for 14.99$ while the women earns 3 cents for each shirt. 
• The jacket is sold for 178$ and the workers who made that was paid 74 cents for every jacket.
• As one of the companys' reports highlight the company arranged precise time slots for producing products. The time slots were so efficient(!) that every worker has to made a shirt in every 6.6 seconds.

As one can observe, companys were using their work force, labor, workers as they were soulless machines. They try to make their profit margin so high that they even do not pay the price of their workers' labour. They basically steal in order to make high margins of profits. So, how they are able to behave brutally?

As division of labour suggests, a company should divide the work should be done as many parts as possible in order to increase their production rate. However, according to Karl Marx, such a division leads to a lack of possession. "The more the worker produces, the more he falls under the domain of his product" (1844 Manuscripts, 72). This gives the power of firing workers freely to the companies. Because the amount of people who are waiting wo be hired is so many and the company is not constructed on a single worker because the work is divided and workers are able to replaced easily.

In conclusion, the modern workers and the work force is not different than old days slavery.

Please refer to the video for further information

10 Best Movies Influenced by Karl Marx

http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2015/the-10-best-movies-influenced-by-marxist-philosophy/

Marx on Alienation

"Marx saw the workers as alienated from the product of his labor and from work itself because, since the product belongs to the capitalist, his work is 'forced labor' not his own, but someone else's."(Nahem, 11)

I find this a successful picture in depicting Marx's alienation theory; workers from less economically developed countries (LEDC) are working long hours, to produce products that they cannot afford to buy. These products are shipped to a different country (MEDC), then the citizens purchase these products.

Difference Between Smith and Marx

This website I have found is a magnificent short comparison between Adam Smith and Karl Marx. I strongly suggest you to take a look at it.

Comparison

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

As you would remember, Smith thinks labour should be divided to individuals so that efficiency of production process can peak. He is right to say so, but Marx thinks that sort of approach to work would lead people to think that their life is meaningless and drive them to sadness.


In 1990, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi published a book called Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. This book is basically about the states of mind (as in the picture below), and how to keep the mind in optimal state, namely in flow. This state of flow is applicable for lectures, hobbies, sports and also the jobs of people. By being in flow, people can both enjoy whatever they do, and also, so to say, get the job done. Therefore, Csikszentmihalyi seems to be solved the efficiency vs meaning crisis for work. Furthermore, he also examined money/materialism factor and it's effect on well being too. I've read this book last semester, I've learn a lot, and found plenty of useful things for real life.

P.S. This book is not like one of those pseudo-scientific self-help books. It contains real and scientific data, and shows ways to be in flow.

Check this wikipedia page for more information.

You can also watch Csikszentmihalyi's TED talks video below, but beware, he is not a good speaker! You may get bored because of the tone of his voice, even though he is talking about some brilliant stuff!

Biography and concepts of Karl Marx

I know it can be reached easily Marx's biography on the internet, but I found a website which both includes a short video about his whole life and his biography that is written in a detailed way. His texts might be quite difficult to understand, so that I think his biography may be beneficial for exploring his ideas because his works bear trace from his life, naturally. I hope it helps you to learn his life and with this way, you can examine his concepts more easily. I also found another video that is based on The Communist Manifesto. It explains his ideas in his work simply and clearly, therefore I strongly recommend to check it out.

Marx Is Back

I’ve found a mini-series named "Marx Is Back" in youtube about Marx’s ideas based on “The Communist Manifesto”. Main topic is workers, blow of economic crisis, suspensions, classes of society etc. There are 4 episodes, 13-15 minutes each. It is in Spanish. If you are interested, here is the link of first episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eckwjxa0-w4 (English subtitled)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r2pVEPnFCY (Turkish subtitled)

The Dictatorship of the Proletariat

The Paris commune was a collection of radical leftists who ruled Paris after the fall of Napoleon from   8th March to 28th March 1871. Marx, as a part of the commune, called it a "dictatorship of the proletariat." The following article sums up the meaning of this phrase in the context of the revolutionary period in Europe's history.
Dictatorship of the Proletariat

Men of Economics

Here are some interesting links that compare the ideas of Adam Smith and Karl Marx:

Link1

Link2

The following links clarify the difference between the two great thinkers of the science Economics. However throughout my research I have learned that there was a third important economist known as John Maynard Keynesian. I thought you guys might want to check why he is an important person for the sake of economics:

Link3(including Keynes)

Capitalism

For this weeks post, instead of sharing videos or links that I find interesting, I  will share my personal opinion about capitalism.This is actually a funny coincidence because this year I am taking a course (If you are interested, it's IE-271) about "standardization of work" from my department. Since the beginning of the semester, our only aim is to decrease inputs(labor cost, time, money, etc.) while increasing the outputs(product, profit, etc.). In other words, increasing productivity to reach mass production level. For example, we learned how to standardize the work elements and how to get 100% efficiency from workers by motion and time studies. Additionally, as a capital owner we want to decrease the labor cost to get our maximum profit. Honestly, I haven't really looked from workers perspective until I read these texts from Marx. However, now I realize that how the capitalist system shapes us to be that selfish and careless about another's needs, desires, feelings and even about their psychologies. What do you think? Do you think learning to consider just companies profit and see workers as a machine is normal?

Political Theory - Karl Marx

This long video is very useful to learn the political theory of Karl Marx and to see historical development of Karl Marx ideas on society and politics.

Politics to Marx, like religion, is a manifestation of economics and the material world. All of history and the governance of humanity was a struggle between the “bourgeoisie” and the “proletariat.” In the beginning, people bartered and traded and lived in collective communities. Then, with farms came personal property. With currency came capitalism and the exploitation of workers for the profit of the property owners. Workers unjustly sold pieces of their lives for less than it was worth, creating surplus value which equates to profits for owners.

The Smurfs

I would like to point out to an interesting resemblance. As we are studying Karl Marx, it is hard not to see the similarities between his ideas and loved cartoon "The Smurfs". There are lots of theories indicating Smurfs was a propaganda to brainwash children and teach them the communist life style. These theories are backed up with numerous evidence from similar looks between Karl Marx and Papa Smurf to capitalist goals of Gargamel. As these similarities does not look like coincidences, I don't know if they are enough to point out a secret agenda like brainwashing children. Here is a link for you to look and decide for yourselves.

13 Similarities

Communism vs Capitalism

Karl Marx and Adam Smith both developed theories on economics. While Smith was focused on capitalism, Marx improved his ideas on communism. Here is a picture which shows the distinctions between them:

http://images.slideplayer.com/25/8128404/slides/slide_80.jpg

My Ancestors are Soviet people

Hey everyone,
Marx's idea of estrangements reminded me of childhood full of stories how great Soviet Union was and how happy my grandpa, grandma, the people they know were very very HAPPY. Under capitalism, people are SAD according to Marx. Lenin inspired by Marx's ideas founded Communist party which overturned dictatorship of capitalism and put dictatorship of proletariat. Well, that's what I got from what I have read. As a result, people were :) !  Does this mean Marx was right? Or soviet people were not really happy? Or can we relate this to "estrangement from species being"at all? Some great answers about Leninism/Marxism in the link below.

What is Leninism and how does it differ from Marxism?

HUMAN NATURE - ADAM SMITH VERSUS KARL MARX

  Hi friends,

  I found an interesting video about the comparison of the human nature by Adam Smith and Karl Marx. I hope you find it interesting because Marxian views and Smithian views are open to discussion. Here is the link of the video: human nature

Marxism–Leninism

Marxism–Leninism

karl marx - engels - lenin

Marxism–Leninism is a political philosophy or worldview founded on ideas of Marxism and Leninism, and seeks to establish socialist states and develop them further. Marxist–Leninists espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of Marxism and Leninism, but generally they support the idea of a vanguard party, one-party state, state-dominance over the economy, internationalism, opposition to bourgeois democracy, and opposition to capitalism. It remains the official ideology of the ruling parties of China, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam, and was the official ideology of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and the other ruling parties making up the Eastern Bloc.

The goal of Marxism–Leninism is the development of a state into a socialist republic through the leadership of a revolutionary vanguard, the part of the working class who come to class consciousness as a result of thedialectic of class struggle. The socialist state, representing a "dictatorship of the proletariat" (as opposed to that of the bourgeoisie) is governed by the party of the revolutionary vanguard through the process of democratic centralism, which Vladimir Lenin described as "diversity in discussion, unity in action." It seeks the development of socialism into the full realisation of communism, a classless social system with common ownership of themeans of production and with full social equality of all members of society.

Marxism–Leninism as a philosophy and a political movement has been criticised over the years from widely different ideological currents, due to its relations with Stalinism, the Soviet Union, state repression in Marxist–Leninist run states and classical Marxism. Trotskyists claim that Marxism–Leninism led to the establishment of state capitalism. Others, such as philosopher Eric Voegelin, claims that Marxism–Leninism is in its core (as in the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels) inherently oppressive; claiming that the "Marxian vision dictated the Stalinist outcome not because the communist utopia was inevitable but because it was impossible".Criticism like this has itself been criticised for "philosophical determinism"—i.e., that the negative events in the movement's history were predetermined by their convictions. Historian Robert Vincent Daniels argues that Marxism was used to "justify Stalinism, but it was no longer allowed to serve either as a policy directive or an explanation of reality" during Stalin's rule.In complete contrast, E. Van Ree argues that Stalin continued to be in "general agreement" with the classical works of Marxism until his death.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism%E2%80%93Leninism

Marx Influence

Hi everyone,
As we studied in our last class session Karl Marx and his idea about economy has been effected people life in the past and even now. Also, worldwide public realizes there is something deeply wrong with today's world economic system and because of this I think that doing some reading about Marx influence on today's economy can be beneficial for us in order to make some connection with past to present.
 Marx Influence

Comparing the ideas of Adam Smith and Karl Marx

As we've discussed in the class, it is important to compare the ideas of Adam Smith and Karl Marx. Therefore, the link below is a nice explanation and comparison of their ideas. Also, you can check the image below for a good summary of their ideas.

Comparison of ideas: Adam Smith vs. Karl Marx

Comparing the ideas of Adam Smith and Karl Marx

As we've discussed in our class, it is important to compare the ideas of Adam Smith and Karl Marx. Therefore, you can check out the link below for a nice explanation and comparison of their ideas. Also, the image below is a good explanation.

Comparison of ideas: Adam Smith vs. Karl Marx

Distribution of Wealth

Both Adam Smith and Karl Marx have their own opinions about the human nature. Based on these opinions, they form their ideal society. One of the main aspects to be discussed creating an ideal society is the economy. There are terms, calculations, charts etc. that help us better model the economy. However, most of the time these fail to address the common people, but there is a single term that I think we can all understand: distribution of wealth. Nowadays, everywhere in the world there are discussions about whether the wealth is distributed fairly or not. I think it is a fair discussion, since the rich, a minority, holds most of the economic power. For example, in the US, 1% of the society is believed to hold the 40% of the entire nation's wealth.

Here is a video showing the wealth distribution in the US.

Wealth Inequality in America

The Guy We've Been Reading

Sometimes it helps to not just to read someone but also visualize what he looks like to get to know him and understand him better.  Here's a little picture of our handsome guy Karl Marx.  But then again, it may also lead to  judging him by his looks.

Two Cows explain capitalism over socialism

Hi guys,

Although this video does not 100% shows the truth to the viewer but what I found interesting about this video is the fact that it helps us to have a basis opinion about the terms capitalism and communism.



I hope you like the video!

Marx vs Smith

The video below is, I think a good comparison of the school of economic thought of Karl Marx and Adam Smith. It is more of a comparison of communism and and capitalism rather than all of the ideas that Karl Marx and Adam Smith formed regarding to economics and people but I think it is still a pretty good and easy to understand video. Although the narrator is a bit biased towards captialism I think it shows the right and wrong ideas of each individual. The presentation style is also pretty nice as well. You should check it out if you have 15 minutes of spare time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4YlOyugato

Effects of Marxism

Hello everyone,

What I want to point out is the effects of Marx and Marxism. As we all know, Karl Marx is one of the most important philosopher and he has many effects even today's world. Even though it has been 125 years after his death, he still affects our lives in many ways like; political, historical etc. As he is also an important political economist, he has an influence on politics and economy. There are lots of people that give very big importance on his thoughts and ideas. I want to share a link about Marxism.
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/marxism-influence-marxism.html

Battle of Systems

Adam Smith and Karl Marx represent total opposition in terms of their ideology. If we look today's circumstances inequality and gap between people and the social classes is apparently a big problem. So Marx was right to critisize this inhumane capitalist system. Marx said capitalist system will destroy itself but I think there won't be a change like switching a total communist system, instead people especially wealthy ones will be looking for some adjustments by using their power. However Marxist utopia is still a hope for me and many others since we want to live in a "just" world. Today it's applicable in smaller areas and it could be popular again in different forms because whole system actually depends on lower class, workers.

Here is a video compares ideas of two superficially. I don't agree with some points, one is at the end saying gap is not growing. To me it's just an illusion because we have "modern slaves" more than yesterday and gap is growing geometrically.

Smith, Marx and Today

It is from a TedX speech and summarizes economy ideas of Smith's, Marx's and today's.

Essay About Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth is one of the most impressive major characters. When we first see her at the Duncan's murder scene she was very strong, powerful and strong minded. She was aware of what she is doing and she also knew that she has strong pressure and authorization on her husband. She is like man, she wishes to be a man and murder Duncan instead of her husband. They see the ambition and being not sensitive person as a feature of being man. 

Until she goes desperate and having psychological problems, she manipulated Macbeth in the way that she wants to achieve. However, at the end of the play she reaches the bottom line and she comes the point that she could loose her mind. She felt regretful and she could not carry the weigh of murders. She could not take herself out of this ideas and at the end she killed herself.
As a result, if a human has even a little humanity in herself, she will have some questions and she will not want to see and put herself in such bad positions even if it is late. Sometimes people cannot see their future or they cannot understand really what they are living at that moment, but when the time comes the regret and the shame will definitely come to top and they will face to them like Lady Macbeth.

Late Post on Shakespeare

I think about this quotation is  from one of the most important parts of the play. This sentence is very simple and in fact it is a daily speech sentence. Somehow, we usually use sentences similar to this quotation. In the play we could understand that Macbeth has changed and he is now a different person from who he is at very beginning. He was accepted that he has done very bad things for himself and for other people by murder but it is too late for change it. So, he knows that he is now this kind of person who does not care about other people and just pay attention to his own success. In life we use this kind of sentences when we break up to trying to change something in our lives and that point is also an life changing points for us.  

A Short Video About Karl Marx

Hi guys,

While I was reading the materials about Karl Marx, I found a video that I found interesting in terms of understanding what Marx says in Das Kapital.

It explains what we read for the course in a more funny way by using cartoon images and a clear summary. Hope you will all like it as I did. If you cannot open it, you can reach the link from here

Karl Marx and society

"Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand." 


Marx emphasizes the importance of relationships of people with one another. İn the Communist Manifesto, he explains that men are free only if they are doing their own work and if they have relationships with other men. In this quote, he shows how a society is not made up of single individuals but with the relationships made in the society.

reference: "http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/k/karl_marx.html"

Smith vs. Marx

At the beginning it was hard for me to
understand Smith and Marx especially Smith :) Then I found this video. Talker explains both of their ideas also he adds his idea too :)

If you ask me everyone life now is so unfair for Marx's ideas In a world like this there will always be a leader a rich person using poor people. Even I agree everything he suggests I think it is impossible to follow his ideas in a world like this. There are people who says they follow Marx but then we see them with their Iphones at the Starbucks ;) and it is normal we can't judge them. I feel like Marx's ideas are dreams but Smith's ideas are the reality.

iSlave

Have you ever thought how smart phones are made? And if you thought about it before, you guess that they are made by machines probably but they are not. These contemporary, good-looking devices are made by hand of many workers as a result of capitalism. And there is a factory named FOXCONN which makes devices for many companies. What make this factory interesting are its workers suicides even though factory has good conditions to work. Here is the problem. For high demand workers try to produce a certain technological device, which leads destruction of their psychology and suicides. And there are so many suicide incidents that companies become more cautious and put nets between buildings in order to catch humans like a fish when they commit suicide. And here is link for video APPLE IPHONE - FOXCONN factory workers commit SUICIDE??? And these unfavorable incidents happen mostly in apple productions. Why apple as it is the leader company and there are so many demands for its production. In video that I watched there was a poster "No more iSlave" which get my attention. And the condition of suicide and slaving is not only in technology factories, in china factory workers of any branches are like slaves. They work so much that human body cannot endure. Here is another video that I found with further research:Made in China: Chinese factory slave workers, shocking the world

Weekly Post: from Smith to Marx

Once again, this week's Course Project Blog assignment is simply to post a link, an image, a video, a quote, or share some brief thoughts... 
In particular you might wish to evaluate Smith and Marx, and present some ideas that support one or the other. Is either completely right?
(Remember, the goal of these weekly postings is to stimulate interest in the course materials by giving you the opportunity to connect what we are reading and discussing in class with today's world and the many information resources you have at your disposal. As usual, I've supplied you with some interesting and useful links: please take a moment to look at these, since I think they will help you understand Adam Smith's thought in a more concrete, contemporary context.
In addition to learning about the larger contexts and questions our class illuminates, I encourage you to use this forum as a means of creative thought: making connections between different ideas, images and multimedia resources.)

Your posting is due this Saturday, April 23 at 19:00; Please comment on another group member's post by Sunday at 19:00.

Neo Meet Rene

Rene Descartes is frequently considered the first modern philosopher. His first publication, Discourse on Method, was the touchstone of the scientific method. A response to the lack of clarity he saw in the world of science. One of the most important works of him, the Cartesian philosophy (derived from his name, Descartes) won many followers during the seventeenth century. And i have come up to that, his theories had incidents in the Matrix movie, i have found it interesting and i wanted to share with you.

Many precedents exist for the idea that the real world is an illusion, and the Matrix trilogy is riddled with specific references to philosophers who have entertained this idea. Although the films are meant to stand on their own and create their own set of philosophical questions, the Wachowskis pay homage to these precedents through both obvious and subtle references. Four of the most striking philosophical precedents for the Matrix trilogy are Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation, Plato’s allegory of the cave, Socrates’ visit to the Oracle of Delphi, and the work of Descartes. The films refer to all four of these at various points.

On of the philosophical precedents for the Matrix films is the work of René Descartes, the man responsible for Cartesian coordinates and the phrase “I think, therefore I am.” In his 1641 book Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes poses the question of how he can know with certainty that the world he experiences is not an illusion being forced upon him by an evil demon. He reasons since he believes in what he sees and feels while dreaming, he cannot trust his senses to tell him that he is not still dreaming. His senses cannot provide him with proof that the world even exists. He concludes that he cannot rely on his senses, and that for all he knows, he and the rest of the world might all be under the control of an evil demon.

Here is the video link that explains Descartes work in Matrix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLKrmw906TM

Some Ideas for Study Questions and the Quiz

This week I'll be sharing 2 videos and an article to help us understand Marx's text better. It was quite a hard reading for me but these resources helped me a lot. I hope these resources help you understand the basic concepts more easily too.

1. Video about Marx:

2. Video about the history of capitalism (includes Smith too)

3.Article about Marx vs Smith's ideas. (May help for study question #2)

Division of Labor

In “Wealth of Nations”, Adam Smith talks about division of labor and importance of it. If we were living alone, not in a society, we would do everything by ourselves. Since we are living in a society we should divide labor instead of everybody doing everything. There is a saying which suggests the same idea: “Instead of knowing half of everything, know something completely.” We cannot be professional on many things so we should divide labor, do a specific task.

Adam Smith vs. Karl Marx

Before we move on to Karl Marx, I think this will be useful. This video summerize their thoughts visually. Enjoy it; http://ed.ted.com/on/iZG1NyOj#digdeeper

How Influential Economists Changed Our History

you can see the important economists in our history http://www.investopedia.com/articles/07/economists.asp

Adam Smith's contributions to todays economy

     
In this video they explain the most important phrase that Adam Smith use : " Invisible Hand" from the wealth of notion.  They also state that his theory is applied to today's economic system in USA.

Market Economy: Crash Course Government and Politics

This crash course, Market Economy: Crash Course Government and Politics , explains the role of government in the market place very well. It's only of around 9 mins and brings ones attention to a lot of stuff such as why government promotes competition? Why is it essential for government to intervene in the market? Why would it be a bad idea to have completely free economy? etc.

Rid of Yourself

Adam Smith analyzed nature process on social structure  and according to him there are three power which specify the human behavior and action which are thinking yourself, wanting freedom and tendency to obey social laws and the last one is working habit and changing tendency when i remind these three point to myself i remember the quotes of him;
'Never complain of that of which it is at all times in your power to rid yourself.'
He claim that being jealous drive provide of solve the together existence. Since the motive of our action not only personal benefit but also the others comment about our actions. Since the sympathy to other urge us to accept their comment and judgement. So if we rid self this means we approach to other judgement and comments, this enlarge person view and profit to people. What i understood these lines when i compared the thought and three point of him if you want to be beneficial for humanity and especially for yourself you ought to be rid of yourself sometimes we need to others judgement to wide out knowledge and enlarge view.

"Laissez Faire" and the "Invisible Hand"

The invisible hand:

The invisible hand is a term that Adam Smith uses in his book published in 1776 "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations". He states:

"Every individual necessarily labors to render the annual revenue of the society as great as he can. He generally neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it ... He intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for society that it was no part of his intention. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good.”

Smith explains that all humans work for more belongings and a better lifestyle. As a person is working to gain more, he is not working for the interest of others, but this is also an outcome of his work. As a person is specialized and in competition for scarce recourses, people better their work and become more efficient. As more and more of society start working to better themselves and gain more, they become more specialized and produce more. They do not intend to help their society directly as there is no incentive but this is the outcome of their hard work.  It can be said that, the invisible hand when not interrupted by the government, is a natural phenomenon that determines revenues, wages and market prices through competition of scarce resources. Adam Smith also has a famous saying “Laissez Faire” (let it be) that goes hand in hand with his theory of the invisible hand (a little play on words J). The market according to smith will find it’s ideal demand and supply through the competition of scarce resources (invisible hand) if left alone and not interrupted by the government: price floor, price ceiling, minimum wages etc.. (laissez faire).  

Reference: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/invisiblehand.asp