Abstract
The purpose of this article is to discuss the status of work in the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 and its implications for Marx’s political-intellectual development. It is a theoretical study that focuses on the theme of labor as a commodity in the 19th century and the development of the conception of labor in Marx’s works. To this end, together with the support of a basic bibliography on the subject, it examines some aspects of the conception of labor throughout the development of Marx’s thoughts and seeks to relate them to the questions raised by Eugène Buret regarding the commercial status of labor. The study highlights the constitution of fundamental concepts in Marx, the difficulties he encountered in characterizing what was presented under the rubric of “labor” and some of his impasses.
Keywords:
Marx; Economic history; Political economy; Labor force; Wage labor