Karl Marx examined the division of labor in society. “In 1844, Marx had come to the conclusion that the entire historical world is nothing other than the creation of man by human labor” (lecture notes). Marx points out that work has undergone many changes throughout history. It lists pre-classical, Asian, ancient, feudal and capitalist societies (lecture notes). I think Marx's work on capitalist societies is relevant because we live in a capitalist society. We now have unions, which allows workers to be proactive if they feel conditions are unfair, unlike when Karl Marx predicted the proletariat would overthrow the bourgeoisie. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayWork is organized in every civilized society. All organization in such societies involves production and the work of some becomes the property of others (lecture remarks). This relationship turns into exploitation, which we still see in our society today (course notes). “In capitalist societies, the employer owns the employee's labor power during working hours” (course notes). Alienation is something that Marx saw as inherent to 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 strictly for their employers (Ritzer & Stepnisky, p. 173). This can weaken work relationships, as well as relationships with your colleagues and within the work structure. Work is no longer an expression of our own unique abilities, but simply a means of earning income (Ritzer & Stepnisky, p. 173). Essentially, the person is alienated because they are seen more as a mechanical part of society, which can make them alien to 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 jobs we hate or are perhaps overqualified for in order to earn money to take care of ourselves and our families. The joy of life is taken away from us as we work endlessly in a meager effort to earn money while pleasing our employers. Some of us work so long and so hard that we are unable to enjoy life. We can become depressed. Marx addressed anomie in his seminal work on suicide studies. Marx was correct in his analysis that human freedom increases with technology. “In a mature capitalist society, the productive forces are sufficiently sophisticated for individuals to satisfy their material needs and escape the drudgery and dehumanizing effects of alienated labor. » Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. .Get a Custom Essay This is very true in our modern lives. We can distract ourselves from our menial existence in the eyes of our employer by logging onto Facebook or using other forms of social media. I like to think of it this way, in the eyes of our employers (the big companies), we are just simple lemons with juice ready to be squeezed. The juice is the work that our employers want and want to extract from us. If we want to stay continually employed, we go to work and produce something. THE..