A Marxian critique of economic theory

¶ … entity; classes are a different thing altogether. By classes, one comprehends Marx to convey sections among individuals in proportion to the specific situations they inhabit in the class development, to the detailed ways in which they personalize class developments. Individuals partake in class processes; they in so doing inhabit class situations or positions. Some individuals execute compulsory and additional labor-Marx's direct makers-while others remove or correct excess labor. Thus making Marx's conceptualization of class multifaceted.

First, an individual can and generally does inhabit more than one class station and so becomes a participant of additional classes. Second, Marx postulates more than the two class situations defined as the players and extractors of excess labor. The adjective, "fundamental," makes headway to broadcast another category of class development and therefore another set of classes. The convolution of Marx's notion of class also materializes in the progress of relating it to social scrutiny. Society is assumed as encompassing different necessary class developments and therefore dissimilar sets of central classes at any past instant.

Certainly, Marx selects the term social construction to society primarily to underline its conceptualization as a realization, an ever-changing arrangement of unlike practices of the central class developments and the individuals who contribute in them, the central classes. "Class process is one thing; classes are another. By classes we understand Marx to mean subdivisions among individuals according to the particular situations they occupy in the class development, to the precise ways in which they "personalize" class processes" (Resnick & Wolff, 1987, p. 117). Personalization of class processes therefore offers a deeper understanding of the term. Ultimately it generates a direct approach to analysis of class structure and class dynamics.

Comprehending this, it is then important to see how Marx distinguishes the forms and groupings. "Marx differentiates the two-class groupings of performers and extractors of surplus labor according to the forms in which the surplus labor is performed. Different forms coexist in varying combinations across human history…primitive communist, slave, feudal, ancient, capitalist… terms fundamental classes" (Resnick & Wolff, 1987, p. 117-118). The five forms or societies that will be analyzed via fundamental, subsumed class and non-class processes are: (a) communism (b) feudalism (c) slavery (d) capitalism (e) ancient. Subsumed classes are different from fundamental process and therefore will be discussed in terms of unproductiveness. "Subsumed classes refers to persons inhabiting a subsumed class position. Such a position occurs within a subsumed class development. It is unlike the fundamental class process because it is neither the production nor appropriation of surplus labor or its products" (Resnick & Wolff, 1987, p. 118). To better explain subsumed classes, they refer to the employees of traders, financiers, and other "managers of the financial, political, and social processes encompassing the circumstances of survival of the capitalist essential class process.

Nonclass positions are different to the fundamental and subsumed class positions in the sense that they do not produce any capitalist merchandises, hire no productive workers, and appropriate no excess worth. Banks can be seen as a nonclass process in that they borrow and lend money. "…the nonclass process of collecting taxes does not occur together with the subsumed class process: the tax paid is not an initial distribution of surplus value…members of Congress do not occupy a subsumed class position within those relationships" (Resnick & Wolff, 1987, p. 241). Some positions in society can occupy both the nonclass position and the fundamental position like Congresspersons. "…various nonclass positions as receivers of taxes, of borrowings, of interest and rental payments from productive and unproductive laborers. Congresspersons may also occupy a fundamental class positions within the state if they serve also on the respective boards of industrial state enterprises" (Resnick & Wolff, 1987, p. 241).

In order to begin the analysis of the five societies, it is important to start with the easiest and current one in the Western world, capitalism. The main classes existent in capitalism are the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. There are other classes within this society that must be included. They are not primary in relation to the dynamics of capitalism, but still exist and must be noted. They are peasants, landlords, petty bourgeoisie, and lumpenproleteriat. The capitalists or bourgeoisie are the fundamental class or direct fundamental class processes because they are directly engaged in production and directly appropriates excess labor. Surplus-value can be seen as profit, rent, and interest. The workers or proletariat are not the owners of production and do not possess the capability to buy or acquire the labor power of others. They sell their own workforce. The nonclass or nonclass processes come from the petite bourgeoisie or "smaller capitalists" as they own enough means of production but do not buy labor force.

As earlier mentioned, Congresspersons can be fundamental or nonclass. They become nonclass if they own an enterprise. The subsumed are the proletariat as they are the workers, the ones that sell their labor. A good example of the subsumed class in a capitalist society is a fast-food worker.