Research Of The View On Machine In Karl Marx’s Das Kapital And Its Contemporary Significance

This paper takes Karl Marx’s view on machine in Das Kapital as its research,provides an in-depth explanation of the background and ideological origin of its formation,takes the three dimensions of technology-history-society as the entry point to understand the main contents of Marx’s view of the machine in Capital,and finally discusses the significance of the machine view in Capital in terms of both theory and practice.The nineteenth century is the historical point at which Marx’s view of the machine in Das Kapital was formed.Thanks to the establishment of modern natural science,the nineteenth century saw new breakthroughs in many natural disciplines;the industrial revolution opened up a whole new world,with the establishment of new modes of production that changed the entire human society;the world trade system continued the development of the world market,expanding the scope and field of trade.The proletariat,as a new political force,was also on the stage of history,growing stronger and stronger in the class struggle,and the modern factory,with machines as the means of production,became the main place of the proletariat’s struggle.This paper summarizes these historical factors into three aspects:natural science background,historical background and social background,which are both the soil of the times in which Marx’s view of the machine in Das Kapital was planted and the clues and ideas for understanding and analyzing the main contents of the machine view of Das Kapital.The formation of the machine concept in Marx’s Das Kapital also has a rich ideological origin.First of all,the natural view of ancient Greek philosophy and the rationalism and critical spirit of modern Western philosophy provide the abundant philosophical sources;secondly,the theory of classical British economics and the technical principles of the craft profession are the theoretical basis for establishing a series of concepts;at the same time,Marx’s personal ideological achievements are his solid theoretical foundation,and these ideological essences expand the theoretical breadth and depth of the machine view in Das Kapital.The main content of Marx’s view of the machine in Das Kapital has a triple dimension of technology-history-society: firstly,he elaborates the evolution from tool to machine from the "technology dimension",in which Marx completes the definition of the scope of the machine,compares the machine with the previous tools of production,and explores the differences between the machine and the tool.It is argued that when the machine develops to a certain extent,the machine system is then formed.In this dimension,Marx completed his historical dissection of the machine,analyzing and clarifying the practical consequences of the use of machines for man himself,capitalist production and capitalist society,in order to clarify the facts of exploitation and oppression behind machine production.Third,the critique of the capitalist application of the machine is completed from the "social dimension".In this dimension the machine is the form of social mediation that Marx uses to articulate capitalism,and Marx confirms the socialized content of the machine and exposes the nature of its capital properties.The capitalist realizes capital power and thus tames the worker with the help of the machine,ultimately achieving the enslavement of man through physical discipline and mental objectification,and the inconsistency between the results of the practical application of the machine and its role as a means of labor imparts an intrinsic dynamic to the capitalist social formation,manifesting itself as the fundamental contradiction of capitalism and ultimately as the "gravedigger."Finally,the paper clarifies the contemporary value of Marx’s view of the machine in Das Kapital from two aspects.In terms of theoretical value,it continues to explore the significance of the machine view in Das Kapital for the contemporary understanding and conceptual transformation of machine technology from the triple technical-historical-social dimension,i.e.,from instrumental rationality to value rationality,from scientific view to scientific-historical view,and from technological determinism to social construction.In terms of practical value,this paper focuses on the latest achievement of machine development-artificial intelligence technology,explores Marx’s reflection and critique of the machine in Das Kapital to provide more analytical perspectives on the current problem solving of artificial intelligence technology,and provides useful reference for the practical path of artificial intelligence technology development.