Karl Marx examined the division of labor in society. “In 1844 Marx had come to the conclusion that the entire world of history is nothing other than the creation of man through human labor” (handouts). Marx specifies that work has gone through many changes in history. List pre-class, Asian, ancient, feudal, and capitalist societies (lesson notes). I believe that Marx's work in capitalist societies is relevant because we live in a capitalist society. We now have unions, so workers can be proactive if they believe conditions are unfair, unlike they were when Karl Marx predicted that the proletariat would overthrow the bourgeoisie. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Work is organized in any civilized society. Every organization in such societies involves production and the labor of some becomes the property of others (lesson notes). This relationship turns into exploitation, which is what we still see in our society today (handouts). “In capitalist societies the employer has ownership of the employee's labor power during working hours” (lesson notes). Alienation is something that Marx considered inherent in capitalist societies (Ritzer & Stepnisky, p. 165). Workers no longer see their work as an expression of their life's purpose (Ritzer & Stepnisky, p. 173). Instead workers produce work exclusively for their employers (Ritzer & Stepnisky, p. 173). This can weaken working relationships, including relationships with colleagues and within the work structure. Work is no longer an expression of our unique abilities, but is simply a means of earning income (Ritzer & Stepnisky, p. 173). , the person is alienated because they are seen more as a mechanical part of society, consequently they can become estranged from the sense of humanity. I also believe that Karl Marx was 100% right on this point. The way our society works, many of us work in jobs that we hate or are perhaps overqualified for to earn money and take care of ourselves and our families. The joy of life is swept away from us as we work endlessly in a meager effort to make money while pleasing our employers. Some of us work so long and hard that we can't enjoy life. We can become depressed. Marx addressed anomie in his seminal work on suicide studies. Marx was right in his analysis that human freedom increases with technology. “In a mature capitalist society, productive forces are sufficiently sophisticated to enable individuals to satisfy material needs and escape the drudgery and dehumanizing effects of alienated labor.” Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay This is very true of our modern life. We can distract ourselves from our humble existence in the grand scheme of our employer's eyes by going on Facebook or using other forms of social media. I like to look at it this way, in the eyes of our employers (big businesses) we are nothing more than simple lemons with juice ready to be squeezed. The gist is the work our employers want and will extort from us. If we want to stay employed on an ongoing basis, most of us will go to work and produce something. Employers extract labor from us in the form of labor and then we are left in a barren state of existence. This is not to say that all employers are like this or that all workers feel this way.